How Pak's 'enemies like India' remark on POK protesters exposes its hypocrisy

"The situation has become dire. Rawalakot is filled with dead bodies," Aqeel Bhai, a social media influencer, is heard saying in a video that went viral as Pakistan cracked down on protesters seeking a boycott of the elections in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK). With the situation rapidly spinning out of its control, Pakistan fell back on a familiar script - equating the protesters with India. But it is Islamabad, not Delhi, which calls the shots in POK. Pakistan's hypocrisy stands well and truly exposed.

Fresh violence erupted on Monday in POK, especially in Rawalakot and Mirpur, as the region held its first phase of elections. The banned Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC), which has been spearheading the protests over the past month, alleged that security forces opened fire on agitators as they attempted to march towards Muzaffarabad, leaving around 40 dead.

PAKISTAN'S HYPOCRISY ON POK EXPOSED

Brazenly defending the firing on protesters, Pakistan defence minister Khwaja Asif said he considered them "enemies" like India. "I put the protesters in the same category as India and consider them also as enemies like India," Asif told a local media outlet.

Asif's remarks have only laid bare Pakistan's decades of doublespeak on POK - an occupied territory which Islamabad claims as its own and also calls the shots.

While POK has its own prime minister and administration, it only oversees day-to-day governance. It is the Pakistani government (or its army, to be specific) that has the iron grip over POK's defence and foreign policy.

In fact, candidates contesting POK elections have to mandatorily furnish an undertaking affirming POK's accession to Pakistan.

Over the years, Pakistan has sought to position itself as a champion of Kashmiri rights. It claims to speak for people on both sides of the Line of Control (LoC). It has fervently raised the Kashmir issue at the United Nations (UN).

But, at the same time, Pakistan has resorted to killing Kashmiris in its own backyard. By putting the POK protesters, who are locals, in the same bucket as India, Asif has sought to suggest that Islamabad does not view POK residents as its own people.

Moreover, Pakistan has always peddled the propaganda that India resorts to human rights abuses in Jammu and Kashmir, in contrast to POK. That fragile narrative now lies shattered.

WHAT INDIA SAID ON POK VIOLENCE?

Now, what does the Pakistan defence minister's remark mean for India? For Delhi, Asif's remark only reinforces its longstanding position.

Delhi has always maintained that the entire Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, including the areas under Pakistan's illegal and forcible occupation, were integral and inalienable parts of India.

It has also repeatedly objected to elections and administrative changes carried out by Pakistan in POK.

On Tuesday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) made its position clear in no uncertain terms.

"The current cosmetic electoral exercise is nothing but an attempt by Pakistan to camouflage its illegal occupation and hide its grave human rights violations in the region," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.

In essence, with a single statement, Pakistan's own minister managed to shatter decades of state propaganda. Previously, Asif has also asserted that residents of Rawalakot and Mirpur in POK were "not proper Kashmiris".

Moreover, it must be remembered that the protests in POK, which have been raging for over a month, were triggered by local grievances - not by India. The run-up to the elections has seen violent protests over rising electricity prices, unemployment and inflation.

Separately, the JAAC - an umbrella outfit of trade groups and civil organisations - has demanded the abolition of 12 seats reserved across Pakistan for refugees. It has argued that representatives elected by voters in Lahore or Rawalpindi should not decide the composition of POK's assembly.

The issues have led to sporadic periods of violence since June, with protesters fighting pitched battles with security personnel. The JAAC has claimed that over 80 people have been killed in POK since protests erupted on June 5.

Pakistan has attempted to crack down on the protests through internet blackouts and by imposing a blockade on food supplies and essential goods. But it has not deterred the protesters. Slogans like "POK is not part of Pakistan" have continued to rent the air despite alleged police excesses.

'FILLED WITH DEAD BODIES'

On Monday, it was no less than a massacre as Pakistani forces opened fire on protesters calling for a boycott of the POK elections. The government, however, alleged that it was the JAAC protesters who fired at security personnel.

Videos that have gone viral on X showed the brutality of the Pakistani forces. These, however, have not been independently verified by India Today. Purported videos on X showed bodies scattered on roads.

An eyewitness said locals had to carry the wounded on their shoulders due to a shortage of ambulances.

Monday's horror on the streets was documented in detail by Aqeel Bhai, an influencer with over 4,00,000 followers.

"I have just barely escaped with my life... There are countless dead bodies, countless wounded. Our shoulders are exhausted from carrying the bodies... Blood of Kashmiris is on the roads," he said in a video message.

Against this backdrop, the Pakistan defence minister's explosive remark equating POK protesters with India only lays bare Islamabad's hypocrisy. POK is illegally occupied by Pakistan. The present mess is of its own making. Yet, it blames India for it. The real face of Pakistan clearly stands exposed.

- Ends