Urgent Call for Global Attention: Kashmir Crisis Escalates Amid State Repression
Islamabad: Sardar Umar Nazir Kashmiri, a key member of the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JK-JAAC), has urgently appealed to international media and human rights organizations to focus on the escalating crisis in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Since September 29, a peaceful movement led by local residents and JK-JAAC members has faced severe state repression, including human rights abuses, restrictions on civil liberties, and the tragic deaths of innocent civilians.
Nazir reported that at least nine unarmed individuals have lost their lives, with hundreds more sustaining injuries.
The Pakistani government has imposed a total communication blackout in PoK since September 28, cutting off mobile, internet, and landline services, which has isolated millions from the outside world.
According to a statement from JK-JAAC, inter-provincial highways have been obstructed, leading to shortages of essential goods, food, and fuel, while legal actions are being taken against JK-JAAC leaders, activists, and journalists.
Nazir emphasized that these actions represent not only a severe violation of human rights but also a blatant infringement of the United Nations Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which safeguard the rights to life, liberty, peaceful assembly, and freedom of expression.
He reiterated that the JK-JAAC's movement is grounded in a 38-point Charter of Demands submitted months ago, which remains unaddressed despite the government's earlier commitment to act on 12 key points by December 2024.
Key demands include independent accountability, reduction of privileges for the ruling elite, full powers and funding for local governments, restoration of student unions, fixed quotas for persons with disabilities, abolition of reserved seats for refugees in Pakistan, and access to free, quality healthcare and education for all citizens.
Nazir stressed that these demands are not rebellious acts but proposals aimed at fostering justice, dignity, and prosperity.
He condemned attempts by certain elements within the Pakistani establishment and non-state actors to suppress this peaceful movement through violence, stating that such actions violate the principles of self-determination and fundamental UN principles, as well as the Geneva Conventions.
Furthermore, Nazir criticized segments of the Pakistani media for disseminating false narratives that obscure the realities faced by the country's 250 million citizens and the international community.