Sardar Nasir Aziz Khan, the central spokesperson for the United Kashmir People’s National Party (UKPNP), shed light on the dire challenges faced by the people residing in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), underscoring their struggle for basic rights and opportunities.
During an interview with a media channel (ANI) Khan articulated that despite being portrayed as a region enjoying freedom, PoJK remains under the firm grip of a colonial mindset, akin to the British rule over India. He likened the administration imposed by Pakistan to the autocratic reign of British Viceroys, wherein officers wield unchecked authority, neglecting the welfare of indigenous inhabitants.
Highlighting the stark disparities in development, Khan lamented the severe lack of employment opportunities and industrial growth in PoJK, leading to widespread deprivation among its populace.
UKPNP spokesperson said, “The people of PoK are very deprived of everything, as there are no jobs and industries. Government jobs are also very limited and are given to the people who are loyalists of Pakistan.”
Sardar Nasir Aziz Khan criticized Pakistan’s systematic suppression of dissent, branding anyone advocating for rights or self-determination as anti-state and anti-Islam.
Furthermore, UKPNP spox decried Pakistan’s disproportionate focus on PoJK in its foreign and defence policies, coupled with stringent media censorship, hindering the dissemination of unbiased information. “Our lands have been locked down, denying any access to the international community. And there is no indigenous electronic or print media, hence, any information that comes out is heavily censored and checked by Pakistani agencies. Massive protests have been organised by the people for the last 10 months. We have been demanding basic rights like no load-shedding, the removal of heavy taxes on electricity, and the availability of flour, wheat, and other basic amenities, but the Pakistani media has absolutely ignored us,” Khan said.
Months long protest
Notably, both Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (POJK) and Pakistan-occupied Gilgit Baltistan (POGB) have been protesting against the lack of basic amenities for months. The protests led by their respective Awami Action Committees have put forward a Charter of Demand with some common demands of subsidized wheat flour, electricity, royalty on their resources among others. These protests have proved to be widely acknowledged and participated by the people across both regions. The protests have turned out to be the largest ones in the colonial history of POJK and POGB but unfortunately, the media attention to these issued has remained very small. Simply because, Pak media is not audacious to cross a red line drawn by Pakistan Army and the foreign media has only limited reach to the ground and that too solicited by Pakistan government.
Drawing attention to infrastructure inequalities between PoJK and Jammu and Kashmir, Khan accused Pakistan of perpetuating extremism to divert attention from PoJK’s plight. He condemned the coercive loyalty pledges required by Pakistan for political participation, emphasizing the marginalization of PoJK residents.
Interestingly, he referred POJK as a tool for Pakistan in its proxy war with India. Apparently, Pakistan has always used POJK and its delusional freedom to continue ISPR propaganda against, actually free Jammu and Kashmir. As a result, conditions in POJK have decremented and continue to reach new low by each passing day.