Police disperse thousands of protesters near LoC in AJK

Tariq Butt

Heavy police contingents lobbed tear gas shells to disperse thousands of charged demonstrators, determined to march towards a crossing point along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), affecting around 20 persons.

The scene of the clash was Dawarandi village in subdivision Hajira, where police had set up barricades and barbed wire to prevent the participants of an “Azadi Long March” under the aegis of Sardar Mohammad Saghir-led faction of pro-independence Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF).

Based in Rawalakot, Saghir is chairman of late Amanullah Khan-led faction of JKLF until its amalgamation with Yasin Malik-led faction in 2011. Due to some alleged reservations about the merger, he had launched his own faction of the pro-independence organisation.

About a week ago, he had given a call for the long march from Rawalakot to Tetrinote, a village famous for a crossing point across the LoC, and a sit-in “for an indefinite period” there, to condemn India’s Aug.5 move, scrapping held Kashmir’s special status, the imposition of curfew, communication blockade and other repressive measures in the territory.

Another purpose of the march, according to him, was to condemn the unrelenting ceasefire violations across the LoC, which were “disturbing routine life and causing frequent civilian casualties on both sides.”

Meanwhile, Inter-Services Public Relation (ISPR) Director General Major General Asif Ghafoor has said that the Indian Army and media are projecting two Pakistanis who had inadvertently crossed the Line of Control (LoC) on Aug.21, as terrorists, terming it yet another attempt to fabricate facts.

On Aug.21, 2019, two local farmers of Azad and Jammu Kashmir (AJK) Muhammad Nazim son of Arif Hussain, 21-year-old and Jalil Ahmed son of Abdul Aziz, 30-year-old, inadvertently crossed the LoC near Hajipir where they had gone for cutting grass.

On Aug.27, the incident was discussed by the military authorities during weekly hotline contact.

The Indian authorities had acknowledged and informed that routine legal formalities are taking place and they shall get back on that account.

Later, on September 2, it was stated, the Indian media fabricated the facts and declared both innocent individuals as members of a proscribed organisation.

On September 3, Indian authorities were once again informed during the weekly hotline contact about the false Indian media story despite prior exchange of information and facts. It was assured by the Indian side that due legal process was in place and outcome will be shared with the Pakistani authorities.

In complete disregard to formal sharing of the incident a false and fabricated story was presented by the Indian Army during a presser on Sept.4 portraying the individuals as terrorists.

They apprehended that the inadvertent crossers were forced to give a confessional statement under duress of Indian Army that they were trained in Pakistan and belonged to Rawalpindi. It is to note that both the individuals are local farmers and residents of Village Terraban (Hillan) along the LoC and not Rawalpindi.

The attempt is another Indian effort to prepare grounds for a false flag operation. Pakistan is taking up the formal case based on evidence to expose Indian lies.

Separately, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday met visiting Chinese Foreign Minister and State Councillor Wang Yi here on Sunday.

The meeting came a day after Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi hosted his Chinese and Afghan counterparts here to discuss the Afghan peace efforts, counterterrorism cooperation, and other issues, reports The Express Tribune.

Wang was accompanied Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Luo Zhaohui.

The other members present in Sunday’s meeting were Qureshi, Minister for Planning Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar, Chinese Ambassador to PAkistan Yao Jing and senior officials.

Saturday’s trilateral dialogue in Islamabad saw PAkistan, Afghanistan, and China agree that there was a need for a “comprehensive” peace deal through “an inclusive Afghan-led and Afghan-owned” reconciliation process, as three sides condemned the recent surge in Taliban-backed terrorist attacks in the war-ravaged country.