Lahore, March 4 Massive demonstrations are being held by people of the Gilgit-Baltistan region in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir over the arrest of three religious scholars after they returned from Iran.
The protestors are demanding the immediate release of the three scholars - Syed Aga Ali Abbas from Kharmang, Sheikh Ghulam Abbas from Skardu and Sheikh Akhtar Hussain from Shigar - who were arrested on February 25 after entering Pakistan through the border crossing with Iran in Balochistan region.
Braving extremely cold weather and heavy snowfall, a large number of locals have been staging a sit-in protest for the past one week, also blocking the Kargil road in Kharmang.
They allege that all three scholars were detained by the Pakistani security agencies without having committed any offence.
Unconfirmed reports late Tuesday evening said that, as the gathering of protestors continues to increase, the authorities have pledged to release two scholars but planned to keep Sheikh Akhtar Hussain under Pakistani custody.
Pakistan-occupied Kashmir continues to witness severe human rights violations, denial of political freedom and suppression of dissent by Pakistani forces.
Last year, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) raised serious concerns about human rights violations in the Gilgit-Baltistan region.
The organisation voiced concern over extensive power outages and internet disruption in the region and demanded recovery of people, including children, who have been abducted by the Pakistani forces.
In 2024, several political activists from PoK and Gilgit-Baltistan held a protest outside the United Nations office in Geneva demanding that Pakistan must vacate its forces from the occupied territories under the UN Security Council Resolution.
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