India Calls Out Pakistan Over PoK Crackdown, Demands Global Accountability As Death Toll Rises To 27

Last Updated:June 09, 2026, 21:21 IST

India condemns Pakistan forces for killing protesters in Rawalakot, PoK, as JAAC led unrest over inflation and disputed Assembly seats, with at least 27 dead and internet curbs

People are dying in the streets of Rawalakot. Security forces in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) opened fire on protesters on Monday, and by Tuesday, India, for one, had seen enough. The Ministry of External Affairs did not hesitate in calling a spade, a spade and called it for what it was: brutality. And then it asked the world to say the same, and not remain quiet on a matter of Pakistani state-sponsored terrorism.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, speaking at a media briefing in New Delhi on Tuesday, did not hesitate, nor did he mince his words. “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 misdeeds and abuses," he said. He also accused Islamabad of running a deliberate disinformation campaign to contain the fallout. “We continue to see a pattern of fake news and videos emanating from Pakistan. It is a desperate attempt by Pakistan to cover up its own failings and deflect attention away from its human rights abuses," Jaiswal added.

What Is The Ground Reality In Pok?

The unrest – centres on the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), a civil society alliance that has spearheaded protests over inflation, electricity tariffs, unemployment and political rights. At the core of the current crisis is a specific constitutional grievance: 12 reserved Assembly seats allocated to refugees from Jammu and Kashmir who settled in Pakistan following Partition, six for refugees from the Jammu region and six from the Kashmir region. Additionally, individuals living outside PoK continue to exert political influence over the region through these seats.

JAAC claims that these seats are filled using fake State Subject certificates to benefit influential political figures rather than genuine stakeholders, with citizens protesting the allocation of local land and resources to elite individuals under the guise of welfare for the local destitute.

The death toll, as of Tuesday, is contested. Pakistani forces fatally shot protesters in Rawalakot, with at least 27 people killed according to reports, though unconfirmed accounts suggest the actual toll could be higher. Internet and digital communication services have reportedly been suspended in parts of the region amid fears of further unrest. Beyond Rawalakot, protests have spread across Muzaffarabad, Gilgit-Baltistan, Mirpur, Dadial, Tattapani and Sudhnoti.

JAAC Was Banned Before Any Conflict

This did not begin with gunfire. Days ahead of a planned protest scheduled for June 9, the PoK government declared the JAAC a proscribed organisation, stating it was “engaged in terrorism" and had acted in a manner “prejudicial to peace and security" of the state. On Saturday, PoK authorities launched a crackdown, arresting scores of JAAC leaders and activists from different areas.

Pakistan’s own Human Rights Commission said it was “deeply alarmed" by the ongoing violence, and expressed serious concern about the regional government’s decision to proscribe the JAAC under anti-terrorism legislation. That condemnation came from within Pakistan’s own institutional framework, a detail New Delhi did not need to highlight because it spoke for itself.

PoK Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore subsequently invited the JAAC to resume talks, saying the issue of 12 seats was not “more important than human lives." The JAAC, with its leaders in custody and its dead still unburied, had already called the June 9 protest. The scheduled general elections for PoK are set for the final week of July 2026, now heavily shadowed by this prolonged civil agitation.

India’s Position And What It Means For The World

India’s response on Tuesday came a day after New Delhi also hit back at Pakistan at the United Nations, rejecting Islamabad’s designation of groups operating within its own borders as “Fitna al-Hindustan" as officially sponsored disinformation dressed in religious terminology. India has consistently maintained that PoK is an integral part of Indian territory under illegal Pakistani occupation, and the events of this week hand New Delhi a sharp diplomatic argument at a moment when international attention on the region is higher than it has been in years.

About the Author

Anoshito Banerjee

Anoshito Banerjee is a digital journalist at CNN-News18, specialising in Indian foreign policy, global diplomacy, South and West Asian geopolitics, and strategic affairs. His reporting spans hard news...Read More

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