Hundreds of Kashmiris from PoK to march towards LoC

Protesting against the abrogation of Article 370 which gave a special status to Jammu and Kashmir, hundreds of Kashmiris from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir have planned a 'Freedom March' along the Line of Control (LoC).

The Jammu-Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), a group led by the incarcerated pro-independence leader Yasin Malik, is organising the rally, The Express Tribune reported.

The people participating in the rally will gather in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Their plan is to cross the LoC and reach Srinagar.

Rafiq Dar, a spokesman of the JKLF, said that many people have already gathered in Muzaffarabad from PoK and Pakistan to march towards Srinagar.

"We have all legal rights to cross the LoC because we do not accept the division of Kashmir. Secondly, the United Nations resolutions have also accepted the free exit and entrance to both parts of Kashmir," Dar told Anadolu Agency over the phone.

"Therefore, we urge the government and the army to allow us to cross LoC and face the Indian troops," he added.

Dar said the rally will be peaceful and the people participating in it will not indulge in any kind of violence.

A government official on condition of anonymity told Anadolu Agency that over 500 JKLF supporters, including 50 women, have so far gathered in Muzaffarabad. Hundreds more are expected to join them on Saturday.

Raja Iftikhar, a local journalist, speaking to Anadolu Agency, said that the number of protesters is expected to be 3,000 to 4,000.

ALSO READ | Imran Khan warns PoK residents against crossing LoC

ALSO READ | Soldiers alert along LoC in wake of PoK march, no breach reported

ALSO READ | PoK is Indian, Pakistan squatting there: Harish Salve