LONDON: Six weeks into the deadliest unrest Pakistan-administered Jammu and Kashmir (PaJK) has seen in years, international pressure over the crisis is visibly building.
On Friday, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk appealed for calm in the territory, warning that dozens of people, mostly civilians, have been killed since June, weeks before the region votes for its Legislative Assembly on 27 July.
The appeal came a day after the UK government responded to a parliamentary petition signed by more than 19,000 people, saying it was "concerned by reports of unrest, loss of life and communications restrictions" and had raised the matter directly with Islamabad. Together, the two statements mark the clearest sign yet that a crackdown which had mostly played out in regional and diaspora media is becoming a matter of sustained international concern.
How the crisis began
Pakistan-administered Jammu Kashmir, officially Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), is a semi-autonomous territory of around four million people with its own prime minister and legislative assembly, though ultimate authority rests with Islamabad.
The unrest traces back to a ruling by PaJK's Supreme Court upholding the constitutionality of 12 assembly seats reserved for refugees from Indian-administered Kashmir who live elsewhere in Pakistan. Protesters, organised under the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) - a coalition of traders, transporters, lawyers, students and activists - say the seats dilute the political voice of PaJK's own residents.
That grievance was part of a 38-point charter of demands covering subsidised electricity and flour prices, the size of the AJK cabinet, and oversight of public spending, echoing protest waves the JAAC has led in 2024 and 2025.
On June 5, days ahead of a planned strike, the AJK government banned the JAAC under the region's anti-terrorism law, accusing it of threatening public order; around 70 people were detained within 48 hours, including senior JAAC figures. A region-wide strike continues since then and deadly clashes have recurred through the summer, including one on 15 July in which a security convoy in Sudhnoti district and a crowd near Rawalakot's bus stand came under fire.
Officials now put the toll from six weeks of unrest at more than 28, including several police officers and paramilitary Rangers. JAAC leaders and rights groups say the real number of dead and detained is higher, and accuse security forces of disproportionate force, a charge authorities reject, saying protesters have themselves opened fire on security personnel in several incidents.
Human rights organization, Jammu Kashmir Human Rights Observatory (JKHRO) has authenticated 34 civilian deaths and is investigating more than 16 others.
Internet and mobile services have been repeatedly restricted since the ban, disruptions independently tracked by the monitoring group NetBlocks, compounding shortages of food and medicine reported in Muzaffarabad during the worst of the shutdowns.
The international response
Türk's statement went further than an appeal for calm. He called for prompt, impartial investigations into every death; for detained JAAC leaders to be given access to lawyers and family, with due process guaranteed; and for authorities to restore full internet access.
Urging the authorities to ensure full internet access throughout the region, the statement said, “Restrictions in the area on access to the Internet are also concerning, as they disproportionately restrict the enjoyment of the right to freedom of expression, including freedom to seek, receive and impart information at a time when tensions are running high.”
He warned that outlawing a civil-society coalition in this way strikes at core rights to speak out, gather and organise; and urged "meaningful and inclusive political dialogue" with the local population.
The UK's response, addressed to a petition started by Tasneem Kauser, disclosed that Foreign Office minister Hamish Falconer had raised the crisis directly with Pakistani counterparts during a visit to Islamabad on June 15-16, and confirmed the department had updated its travel advice on June 6 to advise against all but essential travel to the territory.
It expressed concerns over denial of individuals’ rights to freedom of assembly and expression, including peaceful protest, should be respected.
“Access to communication and information is important for families, education, livelihoods, community engagement and the ability to raise concerns peacefully. We encourage all states to ensure that domestic laws and practices are consistent with international human rights standards. Any allegations of human rights violations or abuses should be investigated thoroughly, promptly and transparently,” the letter said.
London said allegations of abuse should be investigated quickly and openly, and that it expects states' domestic laws and practices to meet international human rights standards, while stressing that responding to the unrest remains a matter for the relevant authorities.
Amnesty International, which had already condemned the JAAC's proscription as "disproportionate, unlawful and a violation of the right to freedom of association," has separately called for an independent probe into Habib's death.
What comes next
With voting for PaJK's 45-seat assembly set for 27 July and JAAC's rescheduled march looming on 21 July, both the security situation and the political temperature look set to stay high. Meanwhile, informal talks through Overseas Pakistanis Foundation chairman Syed Qamar Raza, working alongside local intermediaries, are going on, opening some room for hope of a de-escalation.
Whether this week's UN and UK statements translate into sustained diplomatic pressure, or fade once the news cycle moves on, is likely to shape how the next fortnight unfolds in a territory that has now gone six weeks without real calm.
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