‘End Internet & Movement Curbs In PoK’: Protesters Question Govt, Demand Rights At UK Pak High Commission

Last Updated:June 07, 2026, 14:28 IST

Protesters condemned the internet shutdown and restrictions on movement in POK, alleging these measures were being used to suppress dissent

Denouncing what they described as Islamabad’s heavy-handed tactics, scores of protesters gathered outside the Pakistan High Commission in London to condemn the internet shutdown and restrictions on movement in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

The protesters expressed solidarity with the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), alleging that the measures were being used to suppress dissent in PoK and prevent information from reaching the outside world.

They demanded that the ban on JAAC as a proscribed organisation be lifted, insisting the committee is a peaceful and non-violent political movement working solely to protect the rights and interests of local people in POK.

Demonstrators criticised the deployment of large numbers of security forces, as well as the arrests of JAAC leaders and activists. They accused Pakistani authorities of using force against peaceful demonstrators, claiming that the crackdown had escalated into atrocities against local civilians.

Speakers at the London protest drew attention to what they described as unfulfilled promises from previous agreements with the authorities. They called for the acceptance of JAAC’s 38-point charter of demands, which focuses on economic hardships faced by people in POK, including high electricity tariffs, subsidies on wheat and flour, infrastructure development, and an end to what they termed the exploitation of local resources by outsiders.

Members of the diaspora taking part in the demonstration denounced the communication blackout and movement restrictions as deliberate tactics to isolate the people of POK from the rest of the world. They urged international media and human rights organisations to investigate the situation on the ground and to highlight the grievances of the local population.

“We’ve gathered here today outside the Pakistan embassy to raise our concerns and our voice…It has been almost 24 hours that we have not been able to speak to our families. We want the basic rights… They don’t belong to one nation, one community, one colour or one religion. They are everybody’s right. And we want those rights back. We’re demanding them, we’re not asking them, that is our right," said a protester.

“This is just the beginning. We will continue our fight," said another protester.

WHAT IS THE JAAC?

The Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) is a prominent grassroots socio-political rights alliance operating in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

Founded in September 2023, the JAAC is a 31-member core coalition comprising traders, labourers, lawyers, transporters, and civil society members. It has spearheaded massive regional public movements and widespread strikes to protest against severe economic crises, resource exploitation, and political marginalisation. The JAAC has mobilised the local population around a comprehensive 38-point civic and economic agenda.

Their primary demands include:

Rolling back the severe wheat crisis by providing subsidized wheat flour.

Adjusting local electricity prices to match the production cost of regional hydroelectric plants (like the Mangla Hydropower Project).

Stripping away luxury perks, government spending, and official pensions for MLAs and bureaucrats.

Eliminating 12 legislative assembly seats reserved for Kashmiri refugees living in Pakistan, which they claim leads to the monopolisation of regional development funds.

Demanding major development projects such as connecting tunnels, bridges, and an international airport, alongside lifting restrictions on student unions.

With agency inputs

About the Author

Manoj Gupta

Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18

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