In a tragic development, students from Pakistan-occupied Gilgit Baltistan (POGB) have started facing violent attacks across various cities in Pakistan following their protests against Pakistani occupation of their territories.
Extremist elements of the fundamentalist group Jamaat-e-Islami reportedly pelted stones and physically assaulted POGB students in Lahore.
Videos of the Lahore attacks have gone viral on social media, highlighting the distressing condition of native POGB students.
Islamabad police crackdown on POGB students
This surge of violence comes on the heels of Islamabad Police arresting multiple students who were protesting against Pakistani occupation and oppression in POGB.
Following massive protests outside the Islamabad Press Club, more than two dozen students were apprehended for raising their voices against the occupation. These arrests exposed the hypocritical stance of the Pakistani authorities, who cited the imposition of Section 144 as a basis for the arrests, while another protest continued without any restrictions just a few meters away.
Pak leasing POGB land to private companies
The unrest in POGB is fueled by the leasing of its land to powerful Pakistani individuals and private companies depriving the native populace of their rights. Recently, multiple nurseries and guest houses were allocated to former Pak Army officials and a private Pakistani company by the occupied government of POGB.
What POGB Awaki Action Committee said?
Local leaders, speaking from the Gilgit Press Club, warned that if conditions akin to those in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (POJK) are imposed, POGB will respond robustly. Meanwhile, Comrade Baba Jan, addressing the conference, stated that the people of POGB are not afraid of jail and legal cases, and that decisions will be taken on the streets.
Leaders of the Awami Action Committee also accused Pakistan of pushing the region into the hands of private companies, highlighting the ongoing protests over the past six months against the power abuse by Pakistan and its puppet government. They argue that Pakistan is selling POGB to powerful Pakistanis, exploiting the region and rendering the native populace downtrodden.