India criticized Pakistan for its “exploitative policies” that deny the indigenous people sovereignty over their own resources during fervent protests in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
According to the foreign ministry during a press briefing, India thinks that the protests are a natural result of Pakistan’s ongoing policy of systematic resource looting from these regions, which it continues to occupy illegally and with force.
Spokesman Randhir Jaiswal stated, “Such exploitative policies deny the local people rights over their own resources and the benefits thereof,” stressing that Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, as Union Territories, have been, are, and will always be essential parts of India. There is a ferment occurring in POK, as stated earlier this week by Foreign Minister S Jaishankar. “You can see it on TV or social media.
Dawn daily had previously reported that traffic and vendors were off the roads in three districts of Muzaffarabad in POK, and that all businesses, including banks, were closed. According to local media accounts, there were violent battles between security personnel and protestors in POK who were protesting the high prices of wheat flour and power, resulting in the death of a police officer and the injuries of over 100 persons, the majority of whom were policemen.