The latest news is that the Pakistan government has deployed snipers against those boycotting polls in PoK and twenty persons have been killed. Such incidents have been happening on a daily basis ever since the protests began. State repression has escalated significantly during the mid-2026 regional legislative elections. Driven by systemic exploitation, economic negligence, and rigged political systems, the local population has mounted massive civilian uprisings, which Islamabad has met with heavy-handed military crackdowns.
The Pakistani military, paramilitary forces (including the Pakistan Rangers), and Punjab Police have used live ammunition against unarmed protesters causing civilian deaths and injuries during the recent rounds of agitation. In areas like Rawalakot, security forces have reportedly refused to return the bodies of slain protesters to their families. This tactic aims to prevent massive funeral gatherings from transforming into further anti-Pakistan mobilisation. The Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC)—the primary umbrella group leading the movement for basic economic and political rights—has been banned under draconian anti-terrorism laws. Mass arbitrary arrests of local traders, lawyers, and activists are rampant. To suppress news of the uprising, Islamabad has enforced routine internet shutdowns and communication blackouts. Additionally, the military has reportedly used food and fuel blockades as a starvation tactic to force the population into submission. The PoK Legislative Assembly reserves 12 seats for “refugees” living across Pakistan. This allows the ruling establishment in Islamabad to structurally rig regional elections and plant puppet prime ministers. Furthermore, all candidates must sign an oath affirming PoK’s accession to Pakistan; anyone advocating for independence is barred.
PoK produces massive amounts of cheap, clean hydroelectric power via the Mangla Dam, yet locals face skyrocketing electricity bills. The electricity is diverted to Pakistan’s core provinces, leaving locals with severe shortages and inflated tariffs. Severe shortages and soaring prices of daily survival goods, particularly subsidised wheat flour and basic healthcare sparked the structural gridlock between the JAAC and Islamabad.
The broader implications include a total collapse of Pakistan’s “Kashmir Narrative”. Pakistan has projected itself globally as a champion of Kashmiri self-determination. The brute force used against the local population in PoK has completely shattered this narrative. The international community now sees that the people under Pakistan’s direct administration are actively revolting against its rule. The United Nations Human Rights Wing has taken note of the crisis, demanding an independent probe into civilian deaths, illegal detentions, and the misuse of anti-terror laws against peaceful activists. India’s MEA has explicitly slammed Pakistan, stating that the unrest is a direct consequence of Islamabad’s decades-long systemic exploitation and administrative oppression. It has reinforced its sovereign stance that the entirety of Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh remains an inalienable part of India under illegal Pakistani occupation.
Unlike historical agitations driven by religious or geopolitical alignment, the current uprising in PoK is a rights-based humanitarian movement. The shift from demanding flour subsidies to an outright rejection of Pakistani governance indicates that local patience with military subjugation has permanently broken down.
