UKPNP Protests in Canada: Demands Justice for People in Pakistan-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir
The United Kashmir People’s National Party (UKPNP) held a protest in Calgary, Canada, demanding the fulfilment of the Joint Awami Action Committee’s (JAAC) charter of demands and an immediate halt to the deployment of defence forces in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK). Sardar Nasir Aziz Khan, the spokesperson for UKPNP, called for an end to the use of ‘brutal force’ and the filing of charges against peaceful protestors in PoJK.
In a post on X, Khan stated, ‘The United Kashmir People’s National Party protested in Calgary, Canada, demanding justice. Urged Pakistan to fulfil JAAC demands and stop deploying forces, using force, and filing false charges against peaceful protesters in PoJK.’
The people of PoJK have been continuously raising their demands against rampant inflation, lack of infrastructure, and severe power cuts. Earlier in June, UKPNP Chairman Sardar Shaukat Ali Kashmiri also urged Pakistan to refrain from deploying troops in PoJK during the 56th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva. He emphasized that PoJK is a disputed region and that Pakistan’s actions cause distress among the local population.
Kashmiri criticized Pakistan for its ‘contradictory policies’ and demanded the release of all detainees from Pakistan-Occupied Gilgit Baltistan (PoGB) and PoJK. He stated, ‘While Pakistan has released activists detained in PoJK, it has also filed numerous cases against members of the Awami Action Committee in PoJK and PoGB. We demand the immediate release of all detainees and urge Pakistan to address the grievances of the public.’
The UKPNP strongly criticized Pakistan’s decision to deploy the Frontier Constabulary in PoJK, authorized by Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, viewing it as a ‘betrayal’ of the Kashmiri people. The UKPNP asserted that Pakistan lacks legitimacy in Kashmir and urged the United Nations and the international community to intervene and demand that Pakistan refrain from using force against peaceful protesters in PoJK.
