Hold Pakistan accountable for crackdown on PoK: MEA urges international community

Police officials patrol an area amid continued violence in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir following violent clashes in PoK’s Muzaffarabad on June 9, 2026. | Photo credit: PTI

India on Tuesday (June 9, 2026) called on the global community to hold Pakistan accountable for the loss of life in a police crackdown in Rawalkot, Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK). At a weekly press conference, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal accused Pakistan of committing human rights violations in PoK and said the police crackdown on the Rawalkot protests against the spike in prices of essential commodities was “harsh”.

“There are reports of severe police brutality in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, in which several protesters have been killed and many injured. We hope the international community will hold Pakistan accountable for its wrongdoings and abuses,” Jaiswal told a briefing. The statement came after media from the region reported that police had attacked unarmed people protesting against rising prices of basic commodities such as flour. The protesters also demanded that the authorities cancel the reservation of 12 seats for refugees in the planned parliamentary elections on July 27.

PoK has witnessed police crackdowns on many occasions over the years, including in 2025 when nine people, including protesters and police officials, were killed. However, the latest protest, which began under the leadership of the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) on June 5, was triggered when locals demanded electricity and flour subsidy and restoration of civil liberties in Muzaffarabad, Rawalkot and Mirpur.

Noting the social media campaign to smear the protesters, Mr Jaiswal said: “In this context, we continue to see a pattern of fake news and videos coming out of Pakistan. This is a desperate attempt by Pakistan to cover up its own failings and divert attention from human rights abuses.”

The incidents, particularly the internet outage in PoK, have drawn international concern in recent days. Imran Hussain, chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Kashmir in the House of Commons, issued a statement signed by several other British MPs asking British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper to clarify whether UK citizens were affected by the crackdown. “The people of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (PoK) and the many British Kashmiris with deep family and community ties to the region deserve peace, stability and the opportunity to have their concerns addressed through dialogue rather than confrontation,” Mr Hussain said in his June 6 letter to Foreign Secretary Cooper.

Published – 09 Jun 2026 18:48 IST