MEA: Hold Pak accountable for brutalities on POK civilians

PoK protest

NEW DELHI: Indian govt slammed Pakistan for the ongoing protests in POK, saying Islamabad must be held accountable for its “oppressive approach” and “horrific” human rights violations. Pakistan authorities had on Thursday confirmed that eight people had died in four days of violent protests in the region that India maintains is illegally occupied by Pakistan.According to a Reuters report from Islamabad, only limited information has so far reached the outside world about the full extent of the protests, which broke out when thousands of people from nearby towns converged on regional capital Muzaffarabad on Monday.“We have seen reports on protests in several areas of Pakistan-occupied Jammu & Kashmir, including brutalities by Pakistani forces on innocent civilians. We believe that it is a natural consequence of Pakistan’s oppressive approach and its systemic plundering of resources from these territories, which remain under its forcible and illegal occupation,” said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal at a media briefing, while reiterating that POK was and will always remain an integral part of India.India maintains that Pakistan has been in illegal occupation of parts of Indian UTs of J&K and Ladakh and has consistently called upon Pakistan to immediately vacate all areas under its illegal and forcible occupation. Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif Thursday expressed “deep concern” over the deteriorating law and order situation in POK. A high-level federal govt delegation rushed to Muzaffarabad on Thursday, following Sharif’s instructions, to hold talks with the protesters in an effort to end the unrest in the region.The development came following a three-day strike by the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC), prompted by the failure of talks between the JKJAAC, representatives of POK, and the federal govt to address the issues raised by the protesters. At least six civilians and three police personnel have been killed during the demonstrations in the region, The News reported.