JKLF Wheel-Jam Paralyses PoK

Traffic in most of the main towns of the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir was paralysedyesterday as a result of positive response from transporters to the Wheel-Jamcall given by the pro-independence Kashmiri party Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front(JKLF), according to a statement issued by the JKLF.

This, the statement said, was to express anger and anguish over rejection ofthe nomination papers of JKLF Candidates for Azad Kashmir (PoK) Assembly on thegrounds that they had solemnly declared that they believed in independence ofKashmir in place of its accession to Pakistan and over arrest and torture ofthose of its members who were protesting against rejection of their candidates'papers on political and ideological basis.

According to JKLF sources in Rawalpindi, traffic came to stand still on mainroads from and to Bagh, Rawlakot, Trarkhal and Kotli towns for hours togetherwhereas in Muzaffarabad, Dhirkot, Abbasspur, Hajira, Thorar, Mirpur, Chaksawariand Bhimber traffic stopped in intervals.

Police resorted to baton charge teargasand firing in Bagh, Thorar andTrarkhal. Over 80 persons including a number of important office bearers andactivist of JKLF were arrested some of them including Ishaq Sharif, the districtPresident Bagh, beaten up most inhumanly by police.

A young boy Mohammad Asad got a bullet in his foot and was rushed to Rawlakothospital. 38 members of JKLF including five candidates are already in Kotli,Mirpur and Bagh prisons having been arrested on 7th 8th and 14th of June, 2001.and detained under the ignominous 16 MPO, a draconian law of colonial era thencalled Safety Act or Security Act and used against freedom- fighters.

The press release said that "Mr Amanullah Khan, Chairman, JKLF hasstrongly condemned Azad Kashmir administration, the police in particular, onusing inhuman methods to keep JKLF members from expressing their anger andanguish against most unjust and undemocratic treatment meted out to them by theso-called election commission and police of Azad Kashmir [PoK]. He has stronglydemanded immediate and unconditional release of all JKLF members now behind bars.