Hundreds of ‘peaceful protestors’ who have gathered in Chakothi village near Jiskool at the Line of Control (LoC) to cross the border and march toward Srinagar, have reportedly been blocked by the administration and police. As per Pakistani media, containers, barbed wires and electricity poles have been used to keep the infiltrators at bay.
Yesterday, we had reported how thousands of Pakistanis had announced that they will infiltrate India by crossing the LoC en masse to ‘liberate Kashmir’. However, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan had warned them not to do so lest it upset the narrative Pakistan is building against India.
As per reports, the ‘protestors’ were heard chanting ‘Hum le ke rahenge, Azaadi’ (we will take freedom at any cost) slogans while waving flags of ‘Azaad Kashmir’ and Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), the separatist group headed by Yasin Malik.
According to JKLF separatist leader Mohammad Rafiq Dar, the ‘protestors’ are staging a sit-in and wait for the containers to be removed.
Pakistani security personnel reportedly warned the ‘protestors’ that if they continue with the shenanigans, there is a serious threat that the Indian side will resort to shelling since once they cross Jiskool, they enter the firing range.
Hundreds of Pakistanis have gathered near the LoC, in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) ready to infiltrate India for a ‘Freedom March’, two months after the Indian government abrogated Article 370 which gave separate status to erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. Separatist group Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) leader Yasin Malik’s supporters have organised this ‘rally’ which is to start from PoK and cross the LoC.
According to Pakistani media reports, hundreds of ‘protestors’ gathered in Muzaffarabad in PoK and are planning to cross over LoC and reach Srinagar. JKLF spokesperson Rafiq Dar was quoted by Pakistani news agencies as saying the Pakistanis have all the ‘legal rights’ to cross over the LoC because they “do not recognise the division of Kashmiris”. He even appealed to Pakistani troops to allow them to infiltrate.
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan took to Twitter to urge his citizens to not ‘play into the hand of Indian narrative’ by crossing the border. He said that infiltrating India en masse will only ‘divert narrative’ from the Kashmiris struggle and it will be labelled as ‘Islamic terrorism’ driven by Pakistan. Reminding his fellow brethren that India will not shy away from striking and even attack across the LoC if need be, Khan urged the separatists to back off.