Clashes with forces in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir leave 12 dead and 150 injured

Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) is witnessing unprecedented violence with a dozen civilians killed in the past three days in clashes between locals and the Pakistan Army over the region’s pitiable economic situation.

The violence, the first such in recent years, is testimony to the economic neglect of PoJK and political grievances of the local populace.

The protests are being led by the Awami Action Committee (AAC). They follow the killing of 30 civilians in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in airstrikes by Pakistan Air Force's J-17 fighter jets using Chinese-made LS-6 laser-guided bombs.


Nasir Aziz Khan, spokesperson of the United Kashmir People’s National Party (UKPNP), has urged the United Nations and the international community to intervene against Pakistan’s growing repression in PoJK.

Speaking during the 60th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva recently, Khan cautioned of a worsening humanitarian crisis in the region. He reminded member states of their binding obligations under the Vienna Declaration, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), and other core human rights treaties to protect fundamental freedom.

Fragile economic condition and backwardness of PoJK is the primary cause for escalating protests in the occupied territory, according to Pakistan watchers.

PoJK spans about 13,297 square miles (34,639 sq kms) and is home to an estimated 4.6 million people. The region however remains desolate and neglected compared to other parts of Pakistan, causing unrest from residents.

PoJK has also been suffering severe economic losses and relies heavily on remittances from abroad. By contrast, India’s Jammu & Kashmir is seeing strong economic expansion through increased resource allocation from the Union government.

PoJK essentially survives on subsidies compared to the robust economic activity in Jammu and Kashmir. The inflation rate in PoJK is currently more than 37%.

Educational and medical facilities in PoJK are dismal, say experts on Kashmir affairs. While J&K has 35 universities, PoJK has only six. PoJK has a meagre 23 hospitals compared to Jammu and Kashmir’s 2,812 hospitals.

This fiscal year, Jammu and Kashmir has a budget of ₹1.12 lakh crore ($12.9 billion). PoJK's budget, in comparison, is only $1.77 billion. The ‘governments’ of PoJK and Gilgit-Baltistan have neither financial autonomy nor constitutional recognition, and are ruled by bureaucrats or politicians handpicked by the Army.