By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said on Friday it was closely monitoring “extremely disturbing” protests in the occupied Ladakh region, part of the disputed Kashmir territory, after clashes left at least five dead and prominent activist Sonam Wangchuk was detained.
The foreign office issued the statement hours after Indian police arrested Wangchuk, 59, following violent demonstrations in the Himalayan territory, which borders China and Pakistan. A lawyer for Wangchuk, a leading environmentalist and advocate for tribal rights, confirmed his detention on Friday but said charges were unclear.
Wednesday’s protests, demanding greater autonomy for Ladakh, turned deadly when Indian security forces opened fire. New Delhi blamed the unrest on “provocative speeches” by Wangchuk, who had been on a hunger strike pushing for full statehood or constitutional protections for Ladakh’s tribal communities, land, and environment.
“We are monitoring the situation,” the foreign office said, describing India’s response as a sign of its “iron-fisted approach” in the region. “They demonstrate the Indian authorities’ willingness to go to any extent to curb a protest.” Kashmir, split between India and Pakistan since their 1947 independence from Britain, remains a flashpoint, with both nations claiming it in full and having fought multiple wars over it.
In 2019, India’s government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, separated Ladakh from Indian-occupied Kashmir, placing both under direct rule. Promises to grant Ladakh Sixth Schedule status, allowing local lawmaking, remain unfulfilled. India maintains a heavy military presence in Ladakh, a strategically sensitive area where Indian and Chinese troops clashed in 2020, killing at least 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers.
Mustafa Hajji, a lawyer for the Apex Body Leh, which is leading the protests, told AFP that Wangchuk was detained from his village of Uley Tokpo. Wangchuk, a 2018 Ramon Magsaysay Award recipient for his environmental and educational work, was briefly detained last year during a protest march. On Thursday, Indian authorities revoked his nonprofit’s foreign funding license.
UN Delegation Controversy
Separately, the foreign office distanced itself from controversy over the presence of columnist Shama Junejo at a UN Security Council meeting on artificial intelligence on September 25, addressed by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif. Social media posts on X highlighted Junejo seated behind Asif, pointing to her past comments supporting Israel, prompting outrage in pro-Palestinian Pakistan.
Asif, who spoke in place of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, clarified he had no role in Junejo’s presence. “Who is this woman, why is she with the delegation, and why was she seated behind me? Only the FO can answer these questions,” he said, emphasising his “hatred for Israel and Zionism” and long-standing support for Palestine.
Late Friday, the foreign office said Junejo was not part of Pakistan’s official delegation to the 80th UN General Assembly and her seating lacked approval from the deputy prime minister and foreign minister.
Junejo, responding on X, denied pro-Israel leanings, citing posts condemning Israel’s actions in Gaza and calling Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a war criminal. She blamed the backlash on supporters of the former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party. Mehlaqa Samdani, director of the Community Alliance for Peace and Justice, said Junejo’s presence was “not a good look for Pakistan.”
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