Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), has been witnessing massive unrest led by the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC). What began as a peaceful shutdown strike has spiraled into violent clashes, leaving at least three police personnel dead and over 100 injured in recent days.
The protests erupted over the Pakistani government’s failure to address a 38-point charter of demands submitted by the JKJAAC, including the abolition of 12 legislative seats reserved for Kashmiri refugees in Pakistan and the rollback of privileges granted to the elite.
Shops, hotels, and public transport across Muzaffarabad remain shut, while classrooms stand nearly empty despite schools being officially open. The Pakistani government has responded with a heavy deployment of police and Rangers across Muzaffarabad and other districts.
UN spotlight on PoJK crisis
The situation has also reached international forums. At the 60th UN Human Rights Council session in Geneva, Nasir Aziz Khan, spokesperson of the United Kashmir People’s National Party (UKPNP), urged the UN and the global community to act against Pakistan’s intensifying repression in PoJK. He accused Islamabad of cutting off internet and phone services to crush dissent and warned of a “deepening humanitarian crisis.”
Khan stressed that over three million Kashmiris inside PoJK remain under siege, while nearly two million living abroad have been cut off from their families due to the blackout. He also called on member states to uphold their obligations under the Vienna Declaration, UDHR, and ICCPR.
Violence and government response
Amid the escalating agitation, rival groups have staged parallel demonstrations, each accusing the other of sparking violence. Federal minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry claimed that “90 per cent of the committee’s demands have already been accepted” and assured that the government would guarantee implementation.
Despite this, protests continue to spread across districts such as Mirpur, Kotli, and Muzaffarabad, with demonstrators vowing not to back down until all demands are met.
The unrest in PoJK highlights growing anger over political disenfranchisement, resource exploitation, and lack of self-governance—issues now under the international spotlight