The unrest in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) again brought into focus the grim realities of life in Pakistan-occupied territory. In recent weeks, the region has experienced mass protests, with thousands of people taking to the streets to call for justice, equality, and basic human rights. The Pakistan armed forces' brutal crackdown, opening fire on protestors, imposing curfews, and muzzling the media, has transformed the peaceful protest into a humanitarian emergency.
What is happening in PoK is not a political movement; it is a call of a people that have been systematically overlooked and exploited for decades. The authentic voices of the people calling for basic rights like affordable electricity, equitable distribution of resources, and relief from corruption have been answered not through conversation but through bullets.
Accounts coming in from cities such as Muzaffarabad, Kotli, Rawalakot, and the Neelum Valley are graphic. The demonstrations were peaceful, initiated by the Awami Action Committee along with other local organizations, to protest against decades of neglect and exploitation of natural resources by Islamabad. But the Pakistan Army did not take long to react, firing at civilians shouting "freedom of PoK from Pakistan" slogans. Witnesses have talked of scenes of smoke, chaos, blood, and pleas for help as security forces fired live rounds at unarmed citizens. Dozens were killed, scores wounded, and many are still missing.
After the incident, Pakistan strictly restricted the area. Travelers were prohibited from traveling to PoK, journalists were not granted access, and social media sites were closed. These restrictions seem to be calculated efforts to muffle information and block the world from seeing the extent of repression. The comprehensive ban has also further alienated the people of PoK, who now remain in fear under an army-imposed silence.
The scenario depicts a grave human rights crisis. PoK people have long suffered from poverty, joblessness, and representation. Though the region is well-endowed with natural resources, it is economically backward as most of its hydroelectric energy and minerals are in the grip of Pakistan's federal government. Ironically, electricity produced in PoK illuminates cities in Pakistan, while numerous houses in the region itself remain dark. This injustice has inflamed resentment and anger, culminating in the recent protests.
But instead of tackling these rightful grievances, the government of Pakistan has opted for repression. Troops patrol streets, activists are arrested without trial, and dissidents are labelled "anti-state". Victims' families have accused authorities of refusing to hand over bodies or reveal missing persons' whereabouts. Media access is limited, and reporters who try to report on the ground are being threatened, harassed, and censored. All these acts are brazen violations of international human rights standards, especially Articles 19 and 21 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that guarantee freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
The Pakistani government's lack of response regarding this humanitarian crisis is also problematic. Civil society and human rights advocates have made countless requests for Islamabad to condemn the use of excessive force and conduct a proper investigation into the killings; yet, Islamabad continues to ignore their requests. Furthermore, Islamabad's representatives continue to characterize the protests as "foreign-sponsored," as if the movement were not legitimate. This characterization is not only insulting to the intelligence of the PoK people but also insulting to their decades-long struggle for dignity and justice.
Ironically, Pakistan is accustomed to playing the global defender of Kashmiri rights, particularly on international forums like the United Nations. However, in its own occupied territory, it has been unable to maintain even the most elementary standards of human rights. This double standard has not escaped observation. International activists and human rights organizations, such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have been raising alarm over increased civilian deaths and censorship of free speech in PoK. India's External Affairs Ministry also criticized Pakistan's move as "horrific human rights violations that demonstrate Islamabad's double standards on Kashmir.
As the violence persists, people of PoK refer to their homeland as a "caged region." Life has been crippled by curfews, stores are still closed, and fear holds every home. Blackouts of the internet have severed family communication, while hospitals in the region struggle to treat wounded people due to shortages of medicine and medical equipment. The psychological burden is also great — parents weep for lost children, and youngsters who used to have dreams of a better future now talk only of staying alive.
Amid the desperation, though, is also defiance. PoK's people are no longer intimidated to speak. Their silenced voices are now ringing in valleys and across borders, refusing to be ignored. They are not seeking violence or retribution; they are seeking justice, equality, and the chance to live with dignity — a demand that any democracy must fulfil without a second thought.
The recent tensions have also revealed the structural weaknesses of Pakistan's administration of PoK. The supposedly "autonomous" PoK Assembly has no effective powers, as decisions regarding resources, trade, and development are made by Islamabad and its military bureaucracy. Local politicians have consistently complained that the central government is draining the resources of the region without providing any return in the form of benefits or opportunities. The promise-performance gap has now become too enormous to be overlooked.
Although the government says it has negotiated with protest leaders to an agreement, suspicion runs deep. Citizens respond that transient remedies like subsidies or token reductions in tariffs cannot cure wounds caused by decades of exploitation. Genuine peace, according to them, can only be achieved through responsibility, openness, and significant political reform. Short of this, PoK shall continue to be an icon of unrealized aspirations and distress.
Finally, what is happening in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is not a local problem, it is a human rights problem. The screams of the oppressed, the silence of the dead, and the courage of those who continue to protest are a strong condemnation of Pakistan's moral and political failure. The world cannot afford to turn its eyes away.
If Pakistan truly subscribes to the ethos of justice and self-determination it so frequently sermonizes, then it must first heed the voices in the lands that are under its occupation. The people of PoK are not the state's enemies but its forgotten citizens entitled to the dignity they have been deprived of for generations. The more Islamabad attempts to muffle them, the more strident will be their outcry for justice.
The moment has arrived when the global community must acknowledge the reality of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, a reality of oppression, defiance, and determination. The instability in PoK is not political; it is human. And the world must finally decide to stand with those whose only tool is their voice.
Email:--------------------------------pirzadarehan52@gmail.com
