Dr Farooq Abdullah Questions Centre’s Silence on Situation in PoJK

Srinagar, Jul 29: National Conference (NC) president Dr Farooq Abdullah on Wednesday questioned the Centre's silence over the situation in Pakistan-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), saying the government should speak out if it considers the region an integral part of India. Speaking to reporters in Srinagar, Abdullah said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar should raise concerns over the developments in PoJK. "They repeatedly say that PoJK is an integral part of India. If that is the case, then why don't they speak about what is happening there?" he said. Abdullah said he had repeatedly urged the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to visit the region and assess the situation on the ground. "I have appealed many times that the UNHRC should go there, understand the difficulties faced by the people and work towards addressing them," he said. The former Union minister also claimed that he had not heard any statement from the Centre calling for an end to the violence in PoJK. "If PoJK is part of India, then why is the government not speaking about the violence there? I have not heard any such statement," he added. His remarks came a day after at least 14 activists of the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) were reportedly killed and more than two dozen others injured in clashes with law enforcement personnel during the first phase of elections to the so-called legislative assembly in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. India has consistently maintained that the entire region of Jammu and Kashmir, including Pakistan-occupied territories, is an integral part of the country and has described the elections held there as an attempt by Pakistan to legitimise its illegal occupation and conceal alleged human rights violations in the region.