Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) witnessed a surge in "Azadi slogans" after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif insulted top Pok leader Tanvir Ilyas, Sakariya Kareem writes in Asian Lite International.
This new development came after a video went viral featuring Sharif, who was at an official function, showing him indulging in a verbal spat with Ilyas.
"You sit down, we will talk later," Sharif is seen telling Ilyas. As Ilyas refuses to sit down, Sharif is perceptibly seen losing his cool and continuing his speech angrily, according to Asian Lite International.
PoK's top leader, during the function, wanted to raise the issues of his people but Sharif didn't allow him to speak. After being insulted by Pakistan's PM, Illyas alleged that Sharif's guard attacked him.
Ilyas facing humiliation in an official function triggered anti-Islamabad protests in many areas of PoK with protesters demanding Azadi from the tyrannical rule of Pakistan. They expressed their outrage at the ill-treatment meted out to them and their leaders since 1947 when the tribal raiders illegally occupied PoK, reported Asian Lite International.
To take revenge on Ilyas, Pakistan PM sealed Jinnah Avenue and the Centaurus Mall. Notably, Centaurus Mall was owned by the PoK leader. By doing so Islamabad sent a clear message to leaders and the residents of PoK that anyone who dares to raise his voice will have to face the consequences.
PoK natural resources have been excessively exploited by successive regimes in Islamabad and had turned the land into a barren one. The ruling class of PoK seems to have understood that there is no room for negotiation with Islamabad and that the only way forward is to seek freedom from Pakistan and its rulers.
For the past 70 years, residents of PoK have been suffering in silence as they are not allowed to raise their voices. The media is controlled by the government so human rights abuses by the armed forces and terrorists go unreported, Asian Lite International reported.
No signs of development are visible in PoK as the region has never been treated at par with the other parts of Pakistan. The federal government has always neglected basic needs in PoK, which suffers from poor infrastructure and a lack of available resources and technology.
Pakistan's military establishment under a well-thought-out plan has kept the region underdeveloped and underprivileged. PoK during all these years has served as a breeding ground for terrorists, as per the Asian Lite International report.
( With inputs from ANI )
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