ISLAMABAD (PTI): Activists of Kashmiri Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) were on April 5 stopped at Sehri village, about 16 kms from the line of control by the security forces, which were under strict orders not to allow them to get close to the international border under any circumstances.

Mumtaz Rathore, a former PoK premier and leader of Benazir Bhutto’s People’s Party, who is leading the “Safr E Shahadat” (journey to martyrdom) marchers, told accompanying journalists that the negotiations with the district administration on ending their plan had broken down.

Reports received here said over 2000 volunteers had staged a sit-in at Sehri village.

Rathore said a decision whether to force their way, breaking security cordons, would be taken Tuesday morning.

However, the organizers claimed that several thousand of their activists were participating in the sit-in.

The reports said the security forces had so far used no force to disperse the volunteers.

After an overnight halt at Garhi Dopatta, about 25 kms from Muzaffarabad, the capital, from

Where they had started on Sunday, the People’s Party volunteers crossed several barricades, including landslides created by blowing up large mountain blocks enroute to Sehri village, near the township of Hattian Balla.

Official reports here said the marchers had been stopped at Sehri village and that negotiations were taking place between the organizers and the district administration for bringing to an end their plans.

The Pak authorities made it clear to the People’s Party leaders that they would not allow anybody to cross the line of control as it could Cause a big accident.

Despite the warning, Rathore and his supporters started on their 60 kms journey from Muzaffarabad to Chakothi, a township close to the border Sunday.

Reports from Garhi Dopatta said several youths were seen wearing shrouds symbolizing their readiness to die in case the Pakistani security forces used force to stop them.

During the attempt in February last year by the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front, at least 16 people were killed when the security forces opened fire to prevent the activists from violating the international border.

A People’s Party spokesman said the activists had to abandon their vehicles and walk on foot because of the barricades. At least 40 platoons of Punjab and frontier constabularies, dispatched by the federal government had been posted at Sehri and other places.

The organizers, who had feared clashes, had sent medical teams on motorbikes as ambulances, sent by humanitarian groups, had been stranded.

Article extracted from this publication >>  April 9, 1993