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India reacts to protests in PoK: 'Consequence of Pakistan's policy of systemic plunder'
New Delhi also asserted that the region remains under the "forcible and illegal" occupation of Pakistan.
India on Friday reacted to the protests in several parts of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and said that it was a "natural consequence" of Islamabad's continued policy of “systemic plundering of resources” from the region.
New Delhi also asserted that the region remains under the "forcible and illegal" occupation of Pakistan and reiterated that the entire Union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh "have been, are and shall always remain integral parts of India".
"We have seen reports on protests in several areas of Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir," External Affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said during a weekly media briefing. "We believe that it is a natural consequence of Pakistan's continued policy of systemic plundering of resources from these territories which remain under its forcible and illegal occupation."
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"Such exploitative policies deny the local people, rights over their own resources and the benefits thereof," he added. “We reiterate that the entire Union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh have been, are and shall always remain integral parts of India.”
Protests in PoK
Four people, including one policeman and three civilians, have been killed and several others injured during clashes between security forces and people demonstrating against high prices of wheat flour and inflated electricity bills and taxes in PoK.
The protests in several cities forced the Pakistan government to allocate ₹23 billion for immediate release to the region, according to PTI.
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On Tuesday, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif travelled to the region's capital Muzaffarabad for a day-long visit and said the people had “raised their voices for their genuine demands but amidst that some miscreants tried to create riots and cause killings”.
Sharif also ordered the formation of a committee to find a permanent solution to the issues faced by the people.
He also ordered the formation of a committee to discuss issues like water charge and Neelum–Jhelum hydropower plant, state-run Radio Pakistan reported.
