Pakistan govt illegally trying to merge PoK with Punjab province: Activist

After India abrogated the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan is trying to alter the status of Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) and Gilgit Baltistan, claimed a PoK activist. Nasir Aziz Khan, the spokesperson of United Kashmir People's National Party, referring to an order, alleged that Prime Minister Imran Khan-led government has been trying to “illegally merge” the reason with the Punjab province.

In an order dated December 11, 'President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir' renamed the 'Azad Jammu and Kashmir Management Group' as 'Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Services' (JKAS) with immediate effect. PoK Prime Minister Farooq Haider Khan had earlier raised apprehensions that he could be the last prime minister of PoK and hinted at government’s intention to alter the status of PoK.

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"Prime Minister of PoK Raja Farooq Haider has said that the Pakistani administration has given him a clear message that he is the last Prime Minister of PoK and after this, there will be no Prime Minister here,” said Nasir Aziz. The activist said that the government has a similar intention for Gilgit-Baltistan. 

'Illegal occupation'

Aziz accused Pakistan of illegally occupying the regions of PoK and Gilgit- Baltistan. “As per United Nations convention, Pakistan had to withdraw from these regions but Pakistan did not comply with the United Nations Council's resolutions on Jammu & Kashmir,” said Aziz. He went on to say that Pakistan sowed seeds of Communalism in the region and established “dummy setup” controlled by Pakistan. 

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Aziz lamented the fact that the provincial government has no powers since they can’t legislate for themselves and Pakistani administrators hold the key. There have been several cases of atrocities and human rights violations in PoK and Gilgit-Baltistan through draconian laws. "The Administrators in Pakistan who persecute the general public, they make fake claims on TV channels that they liberated these regions and they announce that we should merge the illegally occupied (PoK) region with Punjab province and other parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK),” claimed Aziz, adding that the nation never had any locus standi on regions of Jammu and Kashmir.

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(With Inputs from ANI)