Islamabad, June 10 (IANS) Several leading international human rights organisations slammed the Pakistani authorities’ violent crackdown on “peaceful protests” in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), including an internet shutdown, mass arbitrary arrests, and the deadly use of force, describing it as an alarming deterioration of human rights in the region.
The remarks came amid reports that several people have been killed and hundreds injured following deadly clashes between the law enforcement personnel and protesters in the Rawalakot city of PoK.
The clashes have been reported days after the Pakistani authorities in occupied territory declared the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) a proscribed group under anti-terrorism laws ahead of its planned protest on June 9.
Condemning the move, the International Human Rights Foundation (IHRF) said, “Branding a civil society body as ‘terrorist’ on vague grounds, while simultaneously sealing the region from outside scrutiny, constitutes a disproportionate and unlawful violation of the right to freedom of association.”
The rights body alleged that the crackdown has turned deadly, stating that more than 25 people, including a woman, were killed by the Pakistani security forces in PoK between June 8 and 9.
The IHRF expressed grave concern over the recurring pattern of crackdowns on JKJAAC protests, including deadly violence in May 2024 and October 2025.
“Without prompt corrective action, the authorities risk further loss of life and a complete erosion of fundamental rights in the region,” it noted.
Meanwhile, Amnesty International called on Pakistani authorities to take immediate steps to de-escalate the situation, exercise restraint and adhere strictly to international standards on the use of force, stressing that force should be used only as a last resort and in line with the principles of necessity and proportionality.
“Branding a grassroots organisation as ‘terrorist’ on vague grounds, while simultaneously cutting the region off from the outside world, raises serious concerns regarding the Pakistani authorities’ conduct and their disregard for human rights. The proscription of JKJAAC under anti-terror laws is disproportionate, unlawful and a violation of the right to freedom of association,” said Isabelle Lassee, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for South Asia.
According to Amnesty International, JKJAAC activist Shahzeb Habib was shot during a police encounter on the night of June 5 after officers stopped the vehicle in which he was travelling with JKJAAC member Umar Nazir Kashmiri. The organisation said that Habib, who subsequently succumbed to his injuries, did not pose an imminent threat of death or serious injury to the officers.
It highlighted that people gathered outside the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Rawalakot on June 7, where Habib’s body had been brought for a post-mortem.
Citing police, Amnesty International said that as many as eight protesters and four police officers were killed in the clashes that erupted later in the day between law enforcement and protesters in the PoK.
“The alarming escalation of violence, including deaths of protesters, raises serious questions. The authorities must conduct an independent inquiry into allegations of the extrajudicial killing of Shahzeb Habib, a thorough and independent investigation into the unlawful killings of protesters in Rawalakot, and also investigate the alleged deaths of police officers. Those responsible must be held to account in line with international human rights standards,” Lassee stressed.
–IANS
scor/rs
