Geneva: The United Nations Human Rights agency has voiced serious concern over the escalating wave of unrest in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), urging Pakistani authorities to investigate the deaths of protesters amid growing tensions ahead of regional elections.
In a statement, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk called on Pakistani authorities to exercise restraint, protect fundamental rights, and ensure accountability for reported violence. He appealed for calm as the region heads toward elections later this month.
According to reports, dozens of people have been killed since early June during demonstrations linked to political and economic grievances. The High Commissioner stressed the need for prompt, thorough, and impartial investigations into all fatalities resulting from the unrest.
Mr. Türk also expressed alarm over Pakistan’s decision to ban the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC), the broad-based civil society platform leading the protests. The group — comprising traders, transporters, students, lawyers, and activists — was outlawed under anti-terrorism laws on allegations of threatening public order. Several of its leaders were subsequently arrested.
The UN warned that criminalising a peaceful civil society movement and imposing broad restrictions on public gatherings raise serious questions about violations of the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and association. The High Commissioner demanded that detained JKJAAC leaders be granted immediate access to legal counsel and their families.
He further criticised the restrictions on internet and communication services across parts of the territory, noting that such blackouts disproportionately undermine the right to seek, receive, and impart information during periods of heightened tension. The United Nations urged the authorities to restore full connectivity without delay.