8 Pakistani cops on election duty kidnapped in POK amid raging protests

Police spokesperson Khawar Ali Shaukat of the POK police, while addressing a televised press conference, stated that the JAAC, which has been branded by Islamabad as a terrorist organisation, attacked security personnel while they were on election duty, and abducted several individuals, reported Dawn..

Islamabad has instituted a brutal crackdown on the protestors in the illegally-occupied region, deploying large numbers of security forces including police, Rangers and even units of the Pakistan Army. At least 90 people have been killed so far in clashes between protestors and security.

What Happened

Clashes have taken place in the midst of ongoing elections to the region's legislature, which India's Ministry of External Affairs has described as being a "complete farce." Speaking to the press, police spokesperson Khawar Ali Shauka said, "Eight highway police officials on.

• Dawn reported POK police spokesperson and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Riaz Mughal as saying on July 29 that members of the proscribed JAAC were "martyring and injuring rangers and police personnel" in the.

• This is not the first time that police personnel in POK have accused the JAAC of targeting their personnel.

• The state will not accept any pressure with regards to the lives of these officials.

Key Details

At the end of his press conference, he called on the JAAC to free the abducted personnel or face the consequences.

• I want to make it clear that the state was not and is not weak.

• He said that recent events showed that the JAAC was not a peaceful group, but a violent one intent on challenging the state's writ and weakening institutions.

What Reports Say

Coverage of the story so far points to:

• Continued reporting by India Today as more details emerge