‘PoJK Is Occupied Territory, Not A Country’: Activist's Audio Raises Questions Over Pakistan's Intentions | Exclusive

Last Updated:June 17, 2026, 14:08 IST

Shaukat Nawaz Mir said Pakistani military officials have privately said the country's control over the region stems from the 1947 tribal invasion & subsequent military intervention

As Pakistan intensifies its security operations in Pakistan-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), a prominent activist has released a fresh audio message accusing the Pakistani Army of attempting to permanently absorb the region into Pakistan while suppressing dissent through force.

CNN-News18 has accessed the latest audio message of Shaukat Nawaz Mir, a key figure associated with the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), who is currently believed to be in hiding amid an ongoing crackdown by Pakistani authorities.

In the audio, Mir makes a striking claim. “PoJK is not a country but an occupied territory," he says, alleging that senior Pakistani military officials have privately acknowledged that Pakistan’s control over the region stems from the 1947 tribal invasion and subsequent military intervention.

‘They Told Us Kashmir Was A Dispute’

According to Mir, Muzaffarabad Sector Commander Brigadier Faiq Ayub recently told local leaders that “AJK is not a country but our occupied territory. We occupied it by sending tribal men and the army. Now we are going to integrate the occupied territory into our various provinces".

Mir, however, argues that such a position contradicts decades of Pakistani policy and rhetoric surrounding Kashmir. “For decades, you kept us engaged in the Kashmir dispute. Our people died, our houses were destroyed. We were told that Azad Kashmir was the base camp for the freedom of Kashmir and that the issue would be resolved through United Nations resolutions," he says in the audio message. “Can a diktat by a sector commander override all of that?"

Protests Over Economy Turn Into Political Challenge

The latest remarks come against the backdrop of widespread unrest across PoJK.

The protests were initially spearheaded by the Joint Awami Action Committee over economic grievances including rising electricity tariffs, subsidy cuts, inflation and governance issues. However, intelligence sources say the movement has increasingly taken on a political character following the Pakistani state’s response.

Authorities have launched a sweeping crackdown involving arrests, raids, internet restrictions and security operations in several districts including Rawalakot, Kotli and Neelum.

Rights groups and local activists have alleged excessive use of force, while Pakistani authorities maintain that the measures are necessary to restore law and order.

Allegations Of ‘Massacre’ And Enforced Disappearances

In his latest message, Mir accuses the Pakistani Army of carrying out what he describes as a “massacre" in the region.

He alleges enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions and harassment of family members of activists associated with the protest movement.

Mir has appealed to international organisations and the wider international community to intervene. “The massacre being committed by the Pakistan Army needs to stop immediately," he says in the audio recording, calling for a peaceful resolution to the Kashmir issue.

Intelligence sources told CNN-News18 that Mir’s comments closely align with a growing narrative among sections of the protest movement that Pakistan is attempting to fundamentally alter the political status of PoJK.

The reference to integrating the territory into Pakistan’s provinces is particularly sensitive because Islamabad has historically maintained that the region’s final status should be determined as part of the broader Kashmir dispute.

Brigadier Faiq Ayub, named by Mir in the audio message, is a serving senior officer recently posted as Sector Commander in the region and has been associated with ongoing security operations.

The latest audio message is likely to further fuel debate over Pakistan’s handling of PoJK at a time when protests, political discontent and security operations continue to intensify across the region.

About the Author

Manoj Gupta

Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18

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