Tensions remained high across Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on Tuesday, a day after at least 11 people were killed and dozens injured in clashes between Pakistani security forces and anti-government protesters.
Videos circulating on social media showed large crowds gathering in Barnala, Bhimber and Mirpur, while security personnel fired tear gas shells at protesters in Muzaffarabad. Other footage showed markets shut across the city as tensions escalated following clashes between workers of the Joint Awami Action Committee and Pakistani security forces.
The protests, which have spread to several towns including Bhimber and Kotli, are part of a growing movement against Islamabad’s policies in the region. Demonstrators have accused authorities of suppressing dissent, while reports from the area suggest restrictions on communications and arrests of activists.
The unrest has drawn international attention. More than 50 members of the British Parliament have written to UK Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary officials expressing concern over reports of a lockdown, arrests and a communications blackout in PoK.
"As Chair of the APPG on Kashmir, our letter to the Foreign Secretary now has the support of over 50 Parliamentarians. We remain deeply concerned by reports of a continued lockdown, a communications blackout, arrests and escalating tensions," Bradford East MP Imran Hussain said on X.
"The UK Government must use all appropriate diplomatic channels to support de-escalation, the immediate lifting of the blockade, restoration of communications and a peaceful resolution through table talks that respect the human rights of Kashmiris at the heart of it," he said.
In their letter, the parliamentarians said they had been contacted by numerous British Kashmiris who were unable to establish contact with relatives in PoK. They also raised concerns over reports of arrests, including those of British nationals, and what they described as a breakdown in dialogue between authorities and representatives of the Joint Awami Action Committee.
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