Will form PoK govt in exile if demands not met by Feb 5: Activist Amjad Ayub Mirza

Human rights activist Amjad Ayub Mirza has said that if the demands of the people of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Gilgit-Baltistan are not met by February 5, then the political exiles living abroad will have no choice but to form a national government of PoK in exile.

Human rights activist Amjad Ayub Mirza has said that if the demands of the people of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Gilgit-Baltistan are not met by February 5, then the political exiles living abroad will have no choice but to form a national government of PoK in exile. Mirza said it is not enough to reduce the taxes on electricity bills in POK or reduce the prices of wheat in Gilgit-Baltistan.

He demanded that Pakistan withdraw its troops from PoK and PoGB and allow legislative assemblies of occupied territories to become fully sovereign. The Tehreek-e Itefaq-e-Rai chairman said, "For eight months, the people of Pakistani-occupied Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan have been protesting, taking out protest rallies, and observing protest sit-ins against the increase in the tariff of electricity in POK and against the cuts and increase in the prices of wheat."

"However, up till now, several sets of negotiations have taken place, but to no avail. The government of Pakistan and the puppet governments in Gilgit Baltistan and POK are not confirming that they are going to reverse the electricity tariff or the increase in the prices of wheat," he added. "And now for the first time in the history of POK, Joint Awami Action Committee has announced that on February 5, they will observe a people's rights day. p till now, every year for the past 33 years, Pakistan has been observing Kashmir Solidarity Day on the February 5 which in actuality has been used to muster and gear up hatred towards India," Mirza said.

"So Pakistan is obviously very upset with this new development because this time, after 33 years, people of POK are going to observe a protest day with a strike across this occupied state against Pakistan. And all the puppets of Pakistan in POK, including all the former prime ministers, have come out in against this strike and they are asking to postpone this strike so that the February 5 can be observed as Kashmir Solidarity Day," the human rights activist added. Mirza claimed that he has popular support of the people of PoK/GB as well as among the diaspora and if a government in exile is formed, it will fight for the civil, social and political rights of PoK/GB.

Mirza said if popular demands are not met by February 5, his party will have no choice but to consider calling for a universal uprising against Pakistan in both PoK and Gilgit-Baltistan. "So, by the look of it, this strike is going to happen and it's going to leave a massive impact in terms of the change of narrative that Pakistan has been instilling in the minds of the people of PoK. Pakistani-occupied Kashmir has been a colony of Pakistan for the past 76 years. But we are not going to remain silent and we declare that if by February 5, our demands, the demands of the people are not met, then they will leave us with no choice but to form a government in exile of PoK and Gilgit Baltistan," he said.

"Therefore, Pakistan has time up till February 5 to reverse the tariffs on electricity bills and to reverse the price hike of wheat in Gilgit Baltistan. There will be no negotiations before Pakistan or its puppet governments in PoK and Gilgit Baltistan take action," he added. "I repeat, there will be no negotiations with Pakistan on this matter. February 5 is our deadline. It's the deadline of a nation, of a nation that has come out in protest and has said that no more. We are going to take no more insult, no more exploitation, and no more atrocities are going to be allowed upon our people," he stated. (ANI)

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