Right Word | Bloodshed In POJK: Dissent, Crackdown And Reality Of ‘Azad’ Kashmir

What is unfolding in PoK is not an isolated incident, but rather the latest manifestation of a structural problem that has existed since the territory came under Pakistani control.

Ban, blackout, bullets and bodies.

These are the four words that increasingly define life in Pakistan-controlled Jammu and Kashmir, where dissent is being met with a combination of repression, censorship and force. The region has witnessed yet another of its most serious episodes of civil unrest in years.

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What began as a campaign by local citizens demanding accountability, economic relief and political reform has once again spiralled into a confrontation between residents and the state. Authorities have responded by banning protest leaders under anti-terrorism laws, arresting scores of activists, restricting communications and deploying force against demonstrators. Several civilians have reportedly been killed.

These developments reveal the growing frustration among local residents of PoJK, a region officially presented by Pakistan as “Azad", or free, with a governance structure that is perceived as ‘unresponsive’, ‘unrepresentative’ and, more importantly, controlled from Islamabad and Rawalpindi — the seat of Pakistan’s powerful military establishment.

The latest unrest follows a call by the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), a civil society coalition that has emerged as the most influential grassroots platform in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, for a long march to Muzaffarabad on June 9. The protest march was aimed at seeking action on more than three dozen demands that have accumulated over the past four years and repeatedly triggered waves of public protests, as witnessed in October 2025.

Contrary to Pakistani official claims portraying the movement as a threat to public........

© News18