Kashmiris hold anti-Pakistan protest to demand dismantling of terror camps in PoK

Political and human rights activists from Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) have raised a demand to dismantle terror camps in the occupied region during a protest in front of the United Nations office in Geneva on Wednesday.

The protest was organised during the 49th session of the UN Human Rights Council by the United Kashmir Peoples' National Party (UKPNP).

UKPNP's exiled Chairman, Sardar Shaukat Ali Kashmiri shouted slogans by calling upon Pakistan to quit the occupation and dismantle all terror camps in the occupied region.

"We organised a protest in front of the United Nations to draw the attention of the international community towards the serious human rights violations in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Gilgit Baltistan," Nasir Aziz Khan, spokesperson of UKPNP said.

He added: "We are the oppressed people. Pakistan made pledges to the international community that she will withdraw from PoK, which was illegally occupied by Pakistan, but she did not comply with the UN Resolution on Kashmir and we have been forcibly divided since 1947. We are here to raise our voice to draw the attention of the UN and the international community towards the abductions, extra-judicial killings and exploitation of natural resources in our area".

What was seen as a clear indictment of Pakistan's support and sponsorship of terrorism, the protesters also demanded the dismantling of terrorist camps and infrastructure that have been established in PoK.

Junaid Qureshi, a Kashmiri activist and director of European Foundation for South Asian Studies (EFSAS) said, "We are here to protest against the atrocities and human rights violations being committed in the region of South Asia, particularly in Pakistan, especially against the administrative areas of Kashmir which are under the occupation of Pakistan".

"We are here to protest against those human rights violations and call the attention of world bodies like the UN to the rights of the Kashmiri people live with dignity, peace and honour, especially to free ourselves from the imposed terrorism exported on us by Rawalpindi. We believe that terrorism is basically the biggest violation of all human rights. We disassociate ourselves from all those imposed groups by Pakistan, like the jihadis".

March 16 is observed as the foundation day of the erstwhile princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, the Jammu Kashmir International People's Alliance (JKIPA) also organised an international seminar and discussed the state of human rights in Pakistan and its occupied areas.

The event was attended by Baloch, Sindhi, Pashtun and other international human rights defenders.

( With inputs from ANI )