Baton Charge of JKLF Leaders and their arrest in Muzaffarabad Condemned

London (January 06, 2010) Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front –JKLF- has strongly condemned the heavy baton charge of JKLF leadership and their subsequent arrests in Muzaffarabad on Tuesday 5th January 2010, at the hands of Pakistan's forces during a peaceful demonstration in Muzaffarabad. 

JKLF top leadership including Raja Haq Nawaz, Raja Mazhar Iqbal, Chaudry Yousuf and Students wing Chairman Raja Mujtaba have been severely injured by the police in Muzaffarabad yesterday morning. 11 people including the above have been arrested after they were severely beaten up by Pakistani police during a demonstration in Muzaffarabad. Earlier the police objected to the holding of a peaceful demonstration on the occasion of Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari’s visit to the disputed region. The witnesses have seen whole JKLF leadership full of blood on the face and cloths before their arrest.

Hundreds of JKLF activists had gathered in Muzaffarabad and other parts of Kashmir on Tuesday to demonstrate against Zardari’s visit to the disputed region.

In a statement issued from London, Head of the JKLF Diplomatic Committee Prof. Zafar Khan and President of JKLF UK Zone Haji Rauf Khan have said that such indiscriminate baton charge on peaceful demonstrators and JKLF leaders will not weaken the Kashmiri people resolve for an Independent state. They further said that such oppressive and cruel measures will not dampen the struggle for the right to self determination and national dignity of Kashmiris.

JKLF in UK and IHK have also demanded immediate and unconditional release of its top leadership.

Zafar Sharif, 

Secretary

JKLF Diplomatic Committee