Imran Khan's 'big jalsa' was a flop show: PoK activist

A political activist in PoK, Amjad Ayub Mirza, on Friday said that a rally 'big jalsa' called by Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan in Muzaffarabad on the Kashmir issue turned up to be a "flop show".

Imran Khan on Wednesday organised "a big jalsa" in Muzzafarabad to send a message to the world about the "continuing siege" of Jammu and Kashmir and to "show the Kashmiris that Pakistan stands resolutely with them."

Speaking to ANI about the Khan's rally, Mirza said, "Imran Khan's rally in Muzaffarabad (capital of PoK) has been a flop show, people were loaded in trucks from Abbottabad and Rawalpindi for the rally. People in PoK have boycotted the rally completely. The world should congratulate people over it."

The activist said that it is ironical on part of Khan to present his fabricated narrative of Kashmir when there are atrocities being carried out against the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, and Balochistan by the Pakistani authorities.

"There is a rising anti-Pakistan sentiment among the people of PoK. The Pakistani establishment is clueless as to how to control this. I believe this was the true purpose of Khan's visit to Muzaffarabad today," he added.

The rally witnessed Khan continuing his anti-India rant, and inciting violence by his remarks that the people of Kashmir would move towards extremism to fight against the alleged human rights violation in the region.

Recently, Pakistan's much-hyped 'Kashmir Solidarity Hour' failed to garner much attention among the Pakistanis. On August 30, Pakistani authorities had made desperate attempts to direct school children to join the protests in support of the people of Kashmir, but that failed to gather any steam. Authorities restricted traffic and blocked roads in view of the protests.

Even since New Delhi announced the decision to abrogate Article 370 which gave special status to Jammu-Kashmir, a rattled Pakistan and its Prime Minister, who is often mocked as 'selected PM' have resorted to cheap rhetoric against India.

Islamabad has also unsuccessfully tried to internationalise the Kashmir issue. India on its part has maintained that the issue is strictly internal to India.