The anti-government protests in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) have entered the 24th day, with over 80,000 demonstrators gathered at the Eidgah grounds in Rawalakot, with Sardar Aman Khan, the leader of the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), making one of the biggest revelations about Pakistan’s state-sponsored terror infrastructure.
Khan claimed that it is Pakistan’s military that originally supplied weapons to Kashmiris. He said that the Pakistan Army pushed weapons and ammunition into Jammu and Kashmir.
“It was the Pakistan Army itself that handed guns to Kashmiris. And today, they have the audacity to call us terrorists,” he said.
While addressing the gathering, Khan also referred to a Jaish-e-Mohammed event last year in February in which armed participants marched through the city carrying dangerous weapons such as AK-47s and swords.
He said that the Deputy Commissioner of Rawalakot allowed and provided security to the rally.
“Deputy Commissioner Rawalkot, you used to organise rallies here with guns and swords. Do you remember? And you will call us terrorists. All these people (protesters) are heirs of this land,” he said.
His address was met with loud applause from the crowd.
Khan warned the Pakistani government that if the 38 demands of the movement were not accepted and implemented, the issue would no longer be limited to that and would instead become a movement to demand that Pakistan completely vacate Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Protesters Warn Islamabad Of Reaching Out To India
Two days earlier, protesters in Rawalakot voiced opposition to Islamabad’s control of the region.
During the demonstration, speakers claimed that the region should no longer be considered under Pakistan’s control and warned about seeking stronger engagement with India.
In his address, Khan said that Pakistan-occupied Kashmir was not part of Pakistan and claimed that Pakistan needed the region more than them.
The protests are not limited to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, and supporters living abroad have organised demonstrations outside Pakistani diplomatic missions in several countries.
