Locals block KKH to protest sedition case against activist

GILGIT: Locals blocked the Karakoram Highway (KKH) in Nagar on Thursday in response to the arrest of youth activist Sarfraz Nagri on sedition charges for allegedly leading a protest demonstration last month

Nagri was nominated in a First Information Report (FIR), registered under sections 123-A (condemnation of the creation of the state), 124-A (Sedition), 147 (punishment for rioting), 341 (wrongful restraint), 500 (defamation), 505 (statements conducting to public mischief), and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

According to the FIR, on June 21, Sarfraz Nagri led a group of 250 to 300 people in blocking the KKH at Harespo Das, Nagar, while chanting slogans.

The FIR claims that during the protest, he made “threatening speeches against government institutions and government officers.”

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It also alleged that, in addition to obstructing traffic, he used provocative language by making common people a shield and inciting actions against institutions.

Following the arrest, local residents and supporters gathered in large numbers, demanding his release and protesting what they called an unjust action by the authorities.

The protesters blocked the KKH in Iskandar Abad, Nagar, halting all sorts of traffic.

A large number of vehicles were stuck on both sides of the blockade.

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The demonstrators chanted slogans and expressed their anger against the arrest, accusing the government of suppressing dissent.

Addressing the demonstration, the speakers said that Sarfraz had been illegally arrested for raising his voice for the people.

They condemned the arrest of activists who spoke out about the issues faced by the underprivileged, calling it an injustice.

They argued that those who advocate for the rights of the marginalized should not be silenced by such actions.

The KKH was closed to all traffic when the report was filed.

It is pertinent to mention here that it was not the first time when sedition or condemnation of state charges were levied against activists.

At least 14 members of the Awami Action Committee (AAC) have been imprisoned over the past two months on charges related to the condemnation of state creation.

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Among those detained are AAC Chairman Ahsan Ali Advocate, Finance Secretary Masoodur Rehman, Senior Vice President Mehboob Wali, AAC Youth-Wing Chairman Asghar Shah, and AAC Deputy Information Secretary Sher Nadir Shahi, along with nine other activists.