Pakistan army harasses Kashmir Deputy Commissioner

London, Feb.6 (ANI): Once again Pakistan Army has demonstrated that they are the real masters of Kashmiri territory under their control; and that they are not accountable to anyone for their actions. It is they who call shots in this region and there is no law which is applicable to them.

Pakistan army behaves like an army of occupation although at times they try to pretend to be 'defenders' of this territory. They commit human rights abuses and are never held accountable for anything; because unlike on the other side of Line of Control where every human rights abuse is reported and flashed in media, no one even dares to report anything against Pakistani soldiers on this side of the LOC.

Neelam Valley and other areas near the Line of Control suffer most, and because of the prevailing situation - fear of army reprisals and fear of being arrested and imprisoned on fake charges of being an 'Indian agent' force people to remain quiet and take every abuse with a smile on their faces.

The Deputy Commissioner is a very senior civilian position in any district, but even a senior civilian is not spared by the Pakistani army in Pakistani Administered Kashmir known as Azad Kashmir.

On 4th February 2010 at around 10 a.m., Deputy Commissioner Shahid Ayub was manhandled by few soldiers of Pakistan army in Neelam Valley.

According to details emanating from the Neelam Valley, Shahid Ayub, along with his staff was on his routine journey to Sharda from Athmuqam, district headquarters. When he reached Keran, just 15 kilometers from Athmuqam, he was stopped by the Pakistan army soldiers by putting up barriers on the Neelam road.

The soldiers treated him disrespectfully and demanded to know who he was.

The Deputy Commissioner and his staff pointed to the AJK flag hoisting on his vehicle and told them that he was a Deputy Commissioner of the District.

Only senior officers, President, Prime Minister and Ministers could hoist the flag of Azad Kashmir on their vehicles.

The soldiers laughed at him and said, 'They don't care for any kind of Deputy Commissioner, or any flag; and that they were the masters of the area'.

They said it is their law and their order which is implemented here.

The soldiers verbally abused the Deputy Commissioner in front of his staff with guns pointing at him from both sides of his vehicle. They also threatened to shoot him on site if he tried to move from there without their permission.

The helpless Deputy Commissioner of so called Azad Kashmir, called Azad Kashmir police force for help, but they were unable to save their boss from the humiliation by soldiers of Pakistan army.

It is also pertinent to mention that the Deputy Commissioner has been in charge of the District for some months, and he is well known in the area and to the soldiers stationed at the Keran Check Post.

It is not that the soldiers didn't know who he was, but they wanted to demonstrate that it is they who call shots in this region and not a Kashmiri Deputy Commissioner. By Dr Shabir houdhry (ANI)