‘If people have been harmed…there needs to be accountability’: UN over crackdown on peaceful protestors in PoJK

GENEVA: The United Nations has called for accountability from authorities regarding the crackdown on peaceful demonstrators in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, emphasising that fundamental rights to peaceful assembly must be respected.

Responding to media queries during a UN press briefing regarding the ongoing situation and human rights concerns in the region, Deputy Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General Farhan Haq stated that authorities across all jurisdictions must respect the right to peaceful protest.

“The Secretary-General supports the work of his High Commissioner, and we certainly hope that the pleas made by Mr. Turk will be listened to,” Haq said, referencing earlier concerns raised by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk.

Addressing specific calls for accountability over the actions taken by local authorities against peaceful demonstrators, Haq emphasised that any harm inflicted on protesters must be investigated. “Well, it’s important that all authorities everywhere allow for peaceful protest, and certainly that is the case here. If there have been people harmed for engaging in peaceful protest, there needs to be accountability for that,” Haq asserted.

Breaking: There needs to be accountability, peaceful protests should be allowed, says UN on violence by Pakistani occupying forces in Pakistan occupied Jammu & Kashmir

Comments by Farhan Haq. Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General

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His remarks come after the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, voiced serious concern over the escalating unrest in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) earlier last month ahead of the Legislative Assembly elections, urging Pakistani authorities to exercise restraint, protect fundamental rights, and ensure accountability for reported violence. In a press release, Turk appealed for calm as tensions continue to rise across the region.

According to the UN, dozens of people, including protesters and law enforcement personnel, have reportedly been killed since June during demonstrations linked to growing political unrest ahead of the elections.

The High Commissioner called for prompt, thorough and impartial investigations into all reported deaths, stressing that those responsible must be held accountable regardless of whether the victims were protesters or members of the security forces.

Turk also expressed concern over Pakistan’s decision to ban the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC), the organisation leading the protest movement, under anti-terrorism laws. The JKJAAC, which includes traders, transporters, students, lawyers and civil society activists, was outlawed on allegations of threatening public order and security, while several of its leaders were subsequently arrested.

Calling for adherence to international human rights standards, the High Commissioner said detained JKJAAC leaders must be granted immediate access to legal counsel and their families. He emphasised that their rights to due process and a fair trial must be fully respected.

Additionally, addressing Islamabad’s attempts to obscure its domestic turmoil, the Ministry of External Affairs highlighted the contrast between administrative progress within India and the severe repression carried out by Pakistani authorities against populations under its illegal control.

During a press briefing on Wednesday, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “The international community is currently witnessing the brutal suppression of fundamental rights in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK). Recent weeks have seen Pakistani security forces resort to lethal violence, targeted killings, and draconian bans to silence peaceful civil rights protests led by the local populace. Such state-sponsored violence against unarmed civilians exposes the profound hypocrisy of the Pakistani establishment.”

Calling out the regime in Islamabad for orchestrating diplomatic rhetoric while fostering cross-border militancy, Jaiswal urged Pakistan to address human rights violations in PoJK and relinquish occupied Indian territories.

“Instead of engaging in predictable diplomatic theatre, Pakistan would be well advised to stop the bloodshed in PoJK, take credible, verifiable, and irreversible action against terror networks operating from its soil, and immediately vacate all Indian territories under its illegal and forcible occupation. The world is not fooled by these orchestrated spectacles,” Jaiswal added.

Security forces in PoJK have killed dozens of protesters since June 2026, besides imposing an internet blackout and restricting foreign media access. (ANI)