UKPNP leaders condemn demographic changes in PoJK, PoGB – The Tribune

Muzaffarabad [PoJK], January 27 (ANI): The President of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the United Kashmir People’s National Party (UKPNP), Jamil Maqsood, has strongly condemned the ongoing demographic changes taking place in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) and Pakistan-occupied Gilgit Baltistan (PoGB).

Maqsood stated that the Pakistani government’s strategic efforts to alter the region’s population and socio-political landscape are a direct violation of the rights of the indigenous people.

In a discussion on social media X, Maqsood highlighted that the demographic changes, which include the influx of non-local settlers, are designed to further Pakistan’s political and economic agenda, diminishing the power and influence of the region’s original inhabitants.

He emphasised that there is a lack of protection for local property and citizens, which has led to the marginalization of indigenous communities. The suppression of their cultural identity and resources is transforming the demographic fabric of both PoJK and PoGB, he said.

Sardar Shoukat Ali Kashmiri, Chairman of the UKPNP, also spoke out on the issue during the discussion, particularly criticizing the state of land occupancy in these regions. Kashmiri stated,” The lack of industries in the area and the growing trend of land being bought by outsiders, which has further exacerbated tensions”. He stressed that local residents in PoGB, such as those in the Hunza district, are increasingly losing their land to non-locals, depriving them of their economic and social rights.

Kashmiri further condemned,” Government’s tactics of spreading hatred among the people to maintain control is also affecting the demographic process in the region”. He expressed confidence that one day the occupiers would have to leave the region, allowing the people to regain their rights and restore peace.

Both leaders stressed the need for global attention to the human rights violations in these occupied regions, urging the international community to support the fight for justice and self-determination for the people of PoJK and PoGB. (ANI)

(The story has come from a syndicated feed and has not been edited by the Tribune Staff.)