New Delhi : Blood in PoK highlights Pakistan’s reign of terror in the illegally occupied part of India’s union territory. Pakistan’s forces mercilessly kill innocent civilians, cut communication lines, and deliberately suppress their tales of horror.
Yet, videos emerging from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) expose the falsehood Islamabad has peddled since 1947. They also unmask those who, for decades, mischievously amplified anti-India propaganda regarding the situation in Jammu and Kashmir.
For over 35 years, separatist voices claimed that the Muslim majority in J&K suffered “subjugation”. Pakistan-backed leaders like Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Shabir Shah, Yasin Malik, Abdul Gani Bhat, and others bitterly attacked the Indian government while openly advocating Pakistan’s cause.
Their sinister campaign, disguised under the slogan of “azadi,” forced Hindus to leave the valley, clearing the way for an Islamic Kashmir to merge with Pakistan. But their lies never materialized. After the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019, India fully integrated Jammu and Kashmir with the Union.
Today, Pakistan’s sustained lies about Kashmir haunt its rulers. The uprising in PoK not only shatters their narrative but also exposes the forces within India who aligned with Islamabad’s propaganda and still fall for Pakistan’s deceit.
Curiously, those who accuse India of human rights violations in Kashmir remain silent about Pakistan’s atrocities in PoK. Where are the so-called champions of “human rights” now? Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti, Sajad Lone, Engineer Rashid, and members of banned separatist groups stay quiet.
These leaders never hesitate to raise their voice against human rights violations — rare as they are — yet remain quiet when the Pakistani Army massacres its own people. Shouldn’t they lead protests in the streets? Their selective silence exposes their hypocrisy.
Instead of speaking out, some leaders continue provoking valley youth against the Indian government. Mehbooba Mufti, for instance, posted on X: “From Uttarakhand to Ladakh & across the border in Kashmir, Gen Z is rising. Because when your future feels bleak & your dreams are shattered — resistance knows no borders.”
By equating Pakistan’s brutal crackdown with domestic issues, she avoids condemning the violence in PoK — perhaps to avoid upsetting Pakistan’s deep state. But leaders like her must recognize that today’s blood-soaked PoK results from seven decades of rot created by Pakistan itself.
The people of PoK demand bread, electricity, education, hospitals, jobs, and dignity. Instead of building industries and schools, Pakistan’s rulers turned PoK into a hub of terror camps. Since 1988, they have used it as a launchpad for terrorism against India. India’s surgical strikes — and the recent Operation Sindoor — destroyed many of these camps, eliminating hundreds of terrorists.
In stark contrast, today’s Jammu and Kashmir follows a path of peace and prosperity. Crores of tourists visit, businesses thrive, and the Central government delivers schemes to villages. Development now reaches the grassroots and the marginalized.
This sharp contrast shakes PoK residents. While J&K enjoys peace, prosperity, education, and healthcare, PoK struggles for basic needs. The ongoing uprising should serve as an eye-opener for Kashmiris misled into believing that Pakistan can offer a “better life.” If that were true, why did PoK erupt in protest?
PoK experiences a grassroots revolution against decades of exploitation — against hunger, unemployment, poor healthcare, lack of education, elitist privilege, and systemic corruption.
This unrest simmered for years but came to the fore in May 2023 when people protested skyrocketing electricity bills and wheat shortages.
The Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) led the movement, intensifying it in May 2024 with a long march to Muzaffarabad. Violent clashes killed protesters, and Islamabad temporarily halted the agitation with hollow promises. But discontent grew, erupting again on September 29, when JAAC marched against the government’s failure to meet 38 demands. Pakistani forces opened indiscriminate fire, killing many. Visuals showed soldiers firing from hilltops at unarmed civilians.
India rightly condemned this brutality, reiterating that Pakistan forcibly and illegally occupies PoK, and urged the international community to hold Islamabad accountable for gross human rights abuses.
Meanwhile, Kashmiri Muslim leaders — both political and religious — stay conspicuously silent. Their silence speaks louder than words, exposing the decades-long “Kashmir game” they played, benefiting only themselves while sacrificing the truth and the people.
The unrest in PoK should open the eyes of Kashmiris still misled by Pakistani propaganda. If Pakistan truly cared for Muslims, PoK would not burn. The people of PoK reject Pakistan, not because of religion but because of decades of exploitation. Kashmiris must see through the false promises sold to them for decades.
PoK’s uprising reveals the truth: Pakistan’s “jugular vein” rhetoric is a big lie.
(Deepika Bhan can be contacted at deepika.b@ians.in)
–IANS
