The situation in Pakistanoccupied Kashmir (PoK) has continued to deteriorate, with protests showing no signs of abating. Reports of enforced disappearances have increased significantly, while protesters have accused Pakistani security forces of using excessive force to quell the agitation. When the protests erupted nearly three months ago, security forces used force to disperse the demonstrators..
Indian intelligence agencies have warned of a possible major provocation by Pakistan aimed at diverting attention from the mounting internal challenges confronting Islamabad. With protests in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) continuing and unrest in Balochistan intensifying, Islamabad is reportedly weighing a major operation against India as a diversionary tactic to shift focus away from its domestic.
Pakistani military’s ‘hardstate doctrine’ may create an illusion of control, but even by its own standards, it is increasingly failing. A doctrine farmed around discipline and security must ultimately be judged by whether it delivers lasting stability. The contradiction Rawalpindi cannot hide is becoming increasingly evident, with intensified operations failing to deliver greater security and.
As the unrest in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), which has left dozens dead so far, continues to intensify, Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), a civil society group – recently designated a terrorist organisation by Pakistani authorities, has announced massive protests on July 5 in the occupied territory.
The unrest in Pakistan demonstrates the fragility of Pakistan’s governance model, which depends on coercion instead of consent and showcases the contradictions in the country’s foreign policy. Pakistan while portraying itself as the defender of Kashmiri rights globally suppresses the rights of people in territories it has occupied. People in PoK have been shouting slogans.
A diversion away from the developments in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Balochistan and Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) is what Pakistan is in desperate need of.
The unrest in Pakistanoccupied Kashmir (PoK) must serve as a compelling case for independent factfinding mission by the United Nations and other international organisations to carry out investigation into the Pakistani army's excesses, civilian deaths, arbitrary arrests, and human rights violations in PoK.
The current political crisis in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) underscores the deep disconnect between the local population and a “toothless” regional administration that remains entirely subservient to Islamabad.
