Hold Pakistan accountable for crackdown in PoK: MEA urges international community

India on Tuesday (June 9, 2026) called on the global community to hold Pakistan accountable for the loss of lives in the police crackdown in Rawalkot, Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK). Addressing the weekly press conference, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal accused Pakistan of committing human rights abuses in PoK and said the police crackdown on Rawalkot protests that took place against the steep hike in prices of essential commodities, was “severe”.

“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,” said Mr. Jaiswal in the briefing. The statement came after media reports from the region informed that police attacked unarmed individuals who were protesting against rise in prices of essential commodities like flour. Protesters had also demanded that authorities should abolish the reservation of 12 seats for refugees in scheduled legislative election on July 27.

PoK has witnessed police crackdown on multiple occasions over the years including in 2025 when nine individuals were killed that included both protesters and police officials. The latest protest that started under the leadership of Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) on June 5 however was triggered when local residents demanded subsidy on electricity  and flour and restoration of civil liberties in Muzaffarabad, Rawalkot, and Mirpur.

Mr. Jaiswal took note of a social media campaign that aims to tarnish the protesters and said, “We continue to see in this context, 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 from its human rights abuses.”

The incidents, especially the internet blackout in PoK have attracted international concern over the past few days. Imran Hussain, Chair, All-Party Parliamentary Group on Kashmir in the House of Commons have issued a statement signed by several other British MPs asking the British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper to clarify if the crackdown has affected citizens of the United Kingdom. “The people of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (PoK), and the many British Kashmiris with deep family and community ties to the region, deserve peace, stability, and the opportunity for their concerns to be addressed through dialogue rather than confrontation,” said Mr. Hussain in his June 6 letter addressed to Foreign Secretary Cooper.