PoJK protest group urges UN, OIC to act on Pakistan's human rights abuses

New Delhi: The Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC) - the organisation leading the protest movement in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) against the Pakistan government has written to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) expressing concerns about the humanitarian and human rights situation in PoJK seeking international attention to their plight.

In their appeals, JKJAAC has alleged that local residents feel isolated from the wider international community and sought attention for their voices to be heard.

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The letters to UNHRC and OIC referred to the 2026 protests over misgovernance, lack of public service, loss of civilian lives and excessive use of force in PoJK by the Pakistan authorities. JKJAAC expressed concerns regarding restrictions placed on their activities and called for restoring dialogue and democracy.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, in a recent statement had urged Pakistani authorities to exercise restraint, protect fundamental rights, and ensure accountability for reported violence ahead of regional elections at the end of the month. Turk had expressed concern over Pakistan's decision to ban JKJAAC, the organisation leading the protest movement, under anti-terrorism laws.

JKJAAC emerged from public concern over rising electricity bills, flour prices, economic hardship, governance failures, and the lack of basic public services. Over time, it became a united platform bringing together citizens, traders, transporters, workers, students, lawyers, civil-society representatives, and local community voices from across the region. JKJAAC began with public resistance against rising flour prices, electricity bills, governance failures, and the growing economic burden on ordinary citizens across PoJK. What started as local protests soon developed into one of the most organised civil-society movements in the region over the years.