Pak Rangers open fire on protestors in PoJK, one killed

Tensions have escalated in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir after one person was killed and several others were injured when Pakistan Rangers allegedly opened fire on protesters. The incident comes amid a crackdown on demonstrations demanding basic rights, economic relief and political freedoms. Media reports also said that more than 600 civil rights activists have been arrested following anti-Islamabad protests in the region.The latest violence comes as the protest movement led by the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) continues to gather momentum despite mass arrests, security restrictions and allegations of excessive use of force by Pakistani authorities.
According to PTI's POK unit, hundreds of people, including women, participated in demonstrations in Charhoi while protest caravans continued moving towards Rawalakot. The party later alleged that Pakistani police and Rangers used force against protesters in Amb village in Dadyal tehsil of Mirpur district.The Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee, which organised Sunday's protests, also alleged that security forces opened fire and used shelling to disperse demonstrators.
The latest protests come days after JAAC leader Sardar Aman Khan appealed to people in Srinagar, Ladakh, Poonch, Rajouri and Jammu to stand with residents of POK. In a video message, Khan alleged that Pakistani authorities had intensified their crackdown on protesters and even disrupted food supplies. "We have faced atrocities. Our food has been stopped," he said while urging people across Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh to express solidarity with the movement. Meanwhile, overseas Kashmiris held a protest gathering in London on Sunday in support of the demonstrators.
On the other hand, in Pakistan, protests have also intensified at Karachi’s Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, where junior doctors are demanding payment of pending stipends, better security and improved hospital facilities. The protesting doctors warned that they would suspend outpatient services if their demands were not addressed.