Pakistan Army Opens Fire on Unarmed Protesters in PoK's Rawalakot, Killing 16 and Wounding Dozens

New Delhi: On Thursday, Pakistan army did open fire using AK-47 rifles on thousands of protesters, at the Eidgaah ground of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK). These protesters were unarmed, in which minimum 16 people have been killed and 37 others wounded.

However, the protests started in very peaceful nature by the civilians. These ordinary citizens were demanding the affordable basic amenities like flour, rice, electricity and basic rights. Situation turned violent when Pakistani security forces and army unleashed gunfire on the gatherings.

How many people assembled at Rawalkot?

The gathered people were roughly 60,000 to 70,000, and assembled in Rawalkot. The were gathered to raise the voice against Pakistani establishments and imposement of policies in the region.

The raised slogans were like "Ye jo dehshatgardi hai, iske peeche wardi hai" (This terrorism is being, carried out by the people in the uniform). Protesters echoed this slogan across the region and now became a "rally cry".

What a political activist had said?

Sardar Aman Khan, a political activist based out PoK and also the leader of the movement vowed to further continue with the movement, beyond any thoughts of how many lives we lost. He also remarked that whoever fight against the establishment and for the basic rights, the term 'terrorist' labelled to them by Pakistan.

Why the protests were happening?

The movement is centred on three demands. These demands are:

• Proper political representation for local citizens,
• Basic economic and occupational rights, and
• Administrative autonomy.

The anger was continuing for weeks and months. Following the situation, additional security forces were also deployed. The situation became tense. Protesters and Pakistani Rangers face-off continued in Rawalkot. After a short span of time, the confrontation turned ugly. Multiple locations saw security force deployments ramped up after the clashes.

What JAAC leaders said earlier?

JAAC leader Khawaja Mehran addressed supporters directly. He said, "Mark this day. Tell the coming generations that we stood up. We did not bow before their paramilitary force. We were not afraid."
Mosques in Rawalkot made public announcements calling people to join the march. The announcements said the land of Jammu and Kashmir was under attack by a foreign force, and urged all Kashmiris to join and prove their self-respect.

JAAC senior leader Shaukat Nawaz Mir said voices are being crushed. "Our youth are being killed," he said.