Gilgit (PR): In a statement issued to the media on Sunday, the chairman of Awami Workers Party Gilgit-Baltistan (AWP G-B) Baba Jan, Asif Sakhi, Sher Nadir Shahi, and others have strongly condemned the arrest of the leaders of Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) in Gilgit.
According to AWP G-B leaders, the arrest of JKLF and ban on peaceful protest and their participation in Party founder late Amanullah’s death anniversary is the worst example of a restriction on freedom of expression.
The arrest of JKLF leadership by G-B police is a sheer violation of human rights and hence condemnable, said the statement.
It is pertinent to note that JKLF leaders and activists are in Gilgit-Baltistan to attend the death anniversary of their party founder Amanullah Khan. They were planning to stage a unity rally on Sunday. However, Gilgit police have imposed all sorts of rallies and protests under section 144. Several JKLF leaders and activists are also reportedly arrested at Chilas while they were on their way to Gilgit.
AWP G-B leaders have further stated that the people of Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir have historical ties. Creating hurdles for people of both units to visit each other is a violation of human rights by any canon of national and international law.
They have demanded of the G-B police immediately release the arrested leaders of JKLF and lift section 144.
