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Alleging a sustained crackdown on civilians in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), Sardar Shaukat Ali Kashmiri, President of the United Kashmir People's National Party, has accused Pakistan of using force against peaceful protesters, carrying out mass arrests and enforced disappearances, restricting access to legal representation and maintaining a prolonged suspension of internet services.
Speaking in Geneva, Kashmiri said the ongoing unrest was not an isolated reaction to electricity prices or economic hardship, but part of a much longer history of deprivation, denial of basic rights, political disempowerment and inadequate infrastructure. He described the current movement led by the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee as a peaceful civil movement involving traders, transporters, teachers, lawyers and civil society members. "The first thing is that this is a peaceful movement. It is neither an armed struggle nor a part of any proxy war. It includes traders' associations, transport associations, teachers' associations, lawyers and members of civil society, many of whom have a long history of peaceful struggle. Therefore, this is not a movement that wants to create chaos or believes in the use of guns." Kashmiri alleged that instead of addressing the protesters' grievances through dialogue, Pakistani authorities had resorted to the use of force. "But firing bullets at peaceful protesters and believing that they will not retaliate is, in my view, a dangerous approach," he said in an interview. Kashmiri warned that continued repression could have serious consequences for the region. "Pakistan's policymakers are dealing with the people of PoJK in a manner that could ultimately push them towards taking up arms and going into the mountains." The leader alleged that the scale of the crackdown had resulted in significant civilian casualties, mass arrests and enforced disappearances. According to him, more than 3,000 people had been arrested and around 1,100 people had allegedly been subjected to enforced disappearance. He also claimed that more than 150 people had been killed by security forces during the unrest. Later in the interview, he said he had a list of approximately 140 people killed, while acknowledging that the communications shutdown had made it difficult to establish the complete picture. "I have a list of approximately 140 people who were killed. There may be some variation because of the internet shutdown, which has made it difficult to gather all the details," said Kashmiri. He alleged that those detained had been denied basic legal safeguards and that families had been left without information about their whereabouts. "They have neither been produced before any court nor have their families been informed about their whereabouts." He said the allegations were particularly serious in light of legal provisions requiring arrested persons to be produced before a magistrate within 24 hours. According to him, prominent leaders of the Joint Awami Action Committee had remained in Pakistani custody for around 70 days without being produced before a court or being given access to lawyers. The prolonged suspension of internet services, he said, had compounded the humanitarian and human rights situation by restricting communication and making it difficult to independently establish the number of casualties, arrests and missing persons. "I personally do not believe in propaganda, but we want to present the actual situation -- the people who have been detained, those who have been injured, the hospitals that have been occupied by security forces, and the suspension of internet services for the past 70 days." Kashmiri also accused the authorities of failing to provide adequate medical assistance to those injured during the protests. He said hospitals and healthcare facilities in PoJK were already severely inadequate, forcing patients to travel to Rawalpindi and Islamabad for advanced medical tests and treatment. Beyond the immediate crackdown, Kashmiri described the protests as the latest manifestation of decades of political and economic grievances. He pointed to the region's electricity tariffs, flour prices, unemployment and lack of infrastructure as key issues behind the mobilisation. He said the Joint Awami Action Committee had presented a 38-point Charter of Demands and that some demands were accepted only after protests, casualties and prolonged agitation. Kashmiri also alleged that the region's political institutions lacked genuine authority and that major decisions were effectively controlled by officials from Pakistan. He argued that the issue was therefore not merely economic, but also concerned political representation, accountability and the fundamental rights of the people of PoJK. The leader said the crackdown had also become an international human rights issue. He said Kashmiri representatives had approached international human rights organisations and were engaging with mechanisms of the UN Human Rights Council. "We have been engaging with various mechanisms of the UN Human Rights Council. There are four to five well-known bodies, including the Committee on Enforced Disappearances and the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention." He said the Kashmiri diaspora planned to raise the issue with international representatives in Geneva and present information concerning alleged detentions, casualties, injuries, restrictions on communications and the condition of hospitals. Kashmiri said the objective was not propaganda, but to bring the alleged violations before international institutions. "This is the only platform we have to present the situation, and we have also been kept informed about what is happening on the ground." He further warned Pakistan against assuming that force could permanently suppress the movement. "Everyone should understand that Kashmir is a land where people fight less and the land fights more." He appealed to Pakistan to abandon confrontation and engage directly with the protesters. "What we want to say is that Pakistan should carefully listen to the people of PoJK and to the charter of the Joint Awami Action Committee, and implement their demands so that peace can be restored and the protesters can return home safely." He also called for assistance to those injured, compensation for families of those killed, withdrawal of cases against members of the Joint Awami Action Committee and negotiations to resolve the crisis. "Any cases registered against members of the Joint Awami Action Committee should be withdrawn, and negotiations should be held with the Joint Awami Action Committee to resolve their issues. We believe that this is in Pakistan's own interest." Kashmiri said the continuing restrictions and alleged abuses had also exposed what he described as the widening gap between Pakistan's international claims and its treatment of people in territories under its administration. For the Kashmiri leader, the events of the past two months are therefore not simply a protest over electricity or subsidies. They represent, he argued, a larger confrontation over human rights, political representation, freedom of peaceful assembly, due process, access to information and the right to dissent in PoJK. (ANI)
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