PoK (Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir) has called a shutdown on the 29th of this month. How many among us know it? What has actually happened, and what is really going on inside PoK behind closed walls? Do Kashmiris ever think about it? Do Kashmiris know how brutal the Pakistani military is in PoK? The people in the valley must understand the worsening situation in PoK (Pakistan Occupied Kashmir). Since media is banned, voices are silenced, rights are demolished, and people are confined within four walls by the Pakistani army.
Let the youth of Kashmir simply search “What is happening in PoK” on Google—they will find thousands of videos of brutal killings, torture, and rape cases. Did Kashmir ever protest for their rights? Did Kashmiri leaders condemn the extrajudicial killings and rapes that happened in PoK? Do the people in high offices speak for civil rights, human rights violations, and cases of disappearance in PoK?
The answer is a big NO.
PoK is not an independent entity; it is ruled under military control. Human rights violations have now become a common reality. For decades, the people of this troubled region have suffered, making it one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. The seriousness of the situation lies in the contradiction: Pakistan claims to provide rights to the people, yet at the same time suppresses and kills them without accountability, while the media is prevented from highlighting these atrocities. This is the stark reality of the human rights violations in PoK today.
Moreover, the region has been turned into a training ground for terrorist outfits and a launching pad for various terror activities, further destabilizing both the local population and regional peace. For decades, the people of this land have lived under a cloud of oppression, denied even the most basic social and democratic rights. Recent videos circulating on social media once again exposed the ruthless victimization of innocent civilians, shocking many and reminding the world of the silent suffering that continues unabated.
It is an evident fact that more than seventy years have passed, yet the people remain politically unidentified and constitutionally invisible. Pakistan’s constitution neither recognizes them as sovereign nor grants them provincial status.
Among the most disturbing realities in PoK is the plight of women. Survivors recount harrowing experiences of systematic sexual violence and harassment at the hands of security forces. Rape has been used as a weapon of intimidation, leaving victims silenced by stigma and fear. The absence of accountability mechanisms means perpetrators enjoy impunity, while survivors and their families are often threatened into silence.
Curfews, internet shutdowns, pellet guns, arbitrary arrests, and sweeping censorship have turned daily life in PoK into a cycle of fear. Children, students, and peaceful protesters are not spared. Entire communities live under the constant threat of collective punishment. The gap between Pakistan’s propaganda of “Azad Kashmir” and the lived reality of “Illegally Occupied Kashmir” could not be more stark: here, people live under fear, not freedom.
The Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC)—a coalition of traders, transporters, lawyers, students, and civil society groups—has become the face of civic resistance in PoK. Since 2023, it has organized protests and shutdowns against economic hardships, corruption, and elite privileges. In May 2024, after six days of region-wide strikes, the government announced a PKR 23 billion relief package. Yet, the demands for structural reforms remain unmet.
The movement’s momentum grew in September 2025 with JAAC’s call for a fresh lockdown, citing the government’s failure to fully implement earlier commitments. Tensions escalated when tragedy struck in Khoi Ratta, Kotli district, where the rape and murder of six-year-old Tasmiyah Sohail triggered widespread outrage. Protests erupted spontaneously, with grieving residents storming the local police station and accusing authorities of negligence.
Why is Pakistan reluctant to provide civil rights to the citizens of PoK? Because it serves as a base for terrorism, infiltration, drug and trafficking camps, and launching pads used by the Pakistani army and China for terrorism in Kashmir and beyond.

Email:---------------------------------------vadaiekashmir@gmail.com