Kashmiri diaspora raises PoJK issues outside UN headquarters in New York

In a post on X, the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC) said protesters assembled outside the UN premises and highlighted what it described as serious human rights concerns in PoJK.

According to the JKJAAC, demonstrators carried placards and raised slogans calling for the withdrawal of Pakistani security forces from the region. The organisation said the protesters also highlighted allegations of killings, arrests, enforced disappearances and restrictions on fundamental freedoms.

The JKJAAC said the diaspora sought to bring the concerns of people in PoJK before the international community. The organisation also called for alleged human rights violations in the region to be independently and impartially investigated and for those found responsible to be held accountable.

The demonstration comes against the backdrop of several years of protests in PoJK, with the JKJAAC emerging as a major platform for public mobilisation. The coalition, comprising traders, transporters, lawyers and other civil-society groups, initially mobilised around issues including electricity tariffs, wheat and flour prices and access to basic public services. Large protests in May 2024 led to shutter-down and wheel-jam strikes across several towns, including Muzaffarabad, Rawalakot and Mirpur. Clashes were also reported during the protests.

The movement expanded its demands in 2025, when the JKJAAC presented a wider charter covering economic, administrative and political issues.

Tensions resurfaced in 2026. A June strike called by the JAAC affected business and transport across PoJK, while the group pressed for greater political rights and changes to representation, alongside implementation of earlier commitments. The authorities subsequently banned the organisation and intensified legal action against its members. (ANI)