Protests continued across Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) on Tuesday, with security forces cracking down on anti-government demonstrators of the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC). At least 11 people were killed and several injured in similar clashes on Monday.
Video footage of the chaos circulated on social media, showing large crowds gathering in Barnala, Bhimber, and Mirpur, while security forces fired tear gas shells at protesters in Muzaffarabad. Other clips showed markets being shut across the city as tensions escalated between the two groups. Protests also spread to several towns including Bhimber and Kotli.
The government of PoK had banned the people’s movement JAAC on Friday under the POJK Anti-Terrorism Act, 2014, triggering protests across the region. There has been growing unrest in the area after several of the group’s members were arrested. The JAAC has currently listed a 38-point charter of demands to Islamabad.
Protesters have accused the government of suppressing dissent. There has also been reports that suggest restrictions on communications.
Kashmiri Diaspora in the United Kingdom also held massive protests against the military crackdown in PoK. Over 50 members of the Parliament have written to UK Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary officials, raising concerns over reports of a lockdown, arrests and a communication blackout in the disputed region.
Bradford East MP Imran Hussain wrote on X, “As Chair of the APPG on Kashmir, our letter to the Foreign Secretary now has the support of over 50 Parliamentarians. We remain deeply concerned by reports of a continued lockdown, a communications blackout, arrests and escalating tensions.”
He further added, “The UK Government must use all appropriate diplomatic channels to support de-escalation, the immediate lifting of the blockade, restoration of communications and a peaceful resolution through table talks that respect the human rights of Kashmiris at the heart of it.”
The Canadian government had earlier updated its travel advisory for Pakistan, warning its citizens to refrain from traveling to PoK.
