Local administration in Kotli district of Pakistan administered Kashmir (PaK) imposed section 144 on holding of public meetings on Thursday, a day ahead of a planned rally to express solidarity with the victims of unrelenting ceasefire violations across the restive Line of Control (LoC).
“In view of the situation prevailing situation and wave of terrorism in the country, any kind of gatherings in sub-division Kotli pose serious threat to the law and order…. Therefore, all kinds of gatherings and rallies are being banned for two months under section 144,” read an order issued by sub-divisional magistrate Raja Nisar Ahmed Khan.
Separately, police and administration officials also held a meeting with Dr Toqeer Gillani of the pro-independence Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) and other leaders, in a bid to persuade them to cancel their march, scheduled for Friday.
Though the call for the “solidarity march” has been given by JKLF, but local journalists claimed that it had received zealous response from people from all walks of life, particularly those living along the LoC.
Gillani told Greater Kashmir by telephone that there were three main objectives of holding the march.
“First, we want to press that exchange of shelling from both sides should come to halt immediately. If it’s ceasefire line and both sides have already singed a ceasefire agreement then there should not be any cross firing and shelling,” he said.
“Secondly, we want to draw the attention of the international community towards the fact that Kashmiris are experiencing hardship for the past seven decades without any break and the only way to end their suffering is to resolve the core issue of Kashmir,” he added.
“Thirdly, we want to condemn the negligence and incompetence of our (PaK) government vis-à-vis situation along the ceasefire line. The government has literally left the affected population at the mercy of fate. The schools are closed, health facilities lack basic infrastructure, and compensation is paltry.”
Gillani told that the march would begin from Tattapani in district Kotli at 10am and conclude in Madarpur in district Poonch at 6pm, after covering a distance of 15 kilometres via Mandhol and Dhar Bazaar.
Participants of the march, he claimed, would comprise a large number of women and children and even though vehicles would also accompany them, majority would walk on foot, with PaK and JKLF flags in their hands.
“They will also be carrying white and black flags as a mark of their protest against shelling and yearning for truce,” he said.
When asked why people from other political schools of thought would participate in a march organised by a pro-independence organisation, he said the march had been welcomed by masses, regardless of political affiliations.
“Political affiliations have become irrelevant along the LoC particularly because the mainstream parties have failed to play a role to alleviate their sufferings,” Gillani claimed.
He said bar associations, traders, farmers and people from other walks of life had expressed gratitude to JKLF for organising this much needed event.
“The life of people living along the ceasefire line has been crippled by incessant shelling and firing. Not a single day goes by when there are not casualties in one or the other sector, so everyone will join us for the common cause,” he said.
Regarding the meeting with police and administration officials, he alleged that they tried to intimidate them into abandoning the plan.
“However, we told them that we do not want confrontation and our purpose is to highlight the plight of the people affected by shelling,” he said.