The Unheard Agony of Kashmiris in PoJK

Dr.Sudershan Kumar

sudershan.sk12@gmail.com

Bestowed with the mesmerizing beauty of Mother Nature, the land called Pakistan-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) encompasses echoes of the unheard cries and wails of people subjected to decades of political uncertainty, economic hardships, restrictions on political expression, and a persistent sense of alienation. These breathtaking landscapes of the region have concealed human stories that have often received far less international attention than their geopolitical significance.

Ironically, the Kashmir question frequently crops up in the language of borders, strategic interests, diplomacy, and national security; yet, at the heart of this enduring dispute lie the ordinary Kashmiris of PoJK, whose aspirations, grievances, and everyday struggles against the atrocities and reign of terror allegedly unleashed by the Pakistan Army remain unheard.

For the people of PoJK, the pain is not merely a consequence of the larger India-Pakistan dispute. It is associated, according to critics and local voices, with questions concerning political representation, constitutional autonomy, economic opportunity, control over natural resources, infrastructure, development priorities, and the freedom to articulate dissent.

Periodic protests over electricity tariffs, taxation, flour prices, governance, and resource distribution have demonstrated that economic grievances can quickly become expressions of wider political dissatisfaction. Such developments raise uncomfortable questions: Why have the sufferings and political voices of ordinary Kashmiris of PoJK received a comparatively limited and lukewarm response from the international community?

The silence becomes particularly striking when measured against the enormous global attention devoted to the Kashmir dispute. International institutions, governments, media organizations, and human rights advocates regularly debate Kashmir from strategic and diplomatic perspectives. However, the everyday experiences of people on the ground can disappear behind the rhetoric of competing national narratives.

Besides, journalists and political dissenters face arbitrary arrests, harassment, and charges of treason. The demands of the people of PoJK for dignity, accountable governance, economic justice, and meaningful political participation need to be addressed at the global level rather than leaving them to the mercy of Pakistan's Army, deep state, and political hypocrisy.

Ultimately, the real measure of any political settlement is not a country's strategic position but the dignity enjoyed by its people. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to understand the evolution of PoJK after the partition of British India in August 1947; the factors responsible for the agony of PoJK, which is illegally occupied by Pakistan; the oppressive measures adopted by the Pakistan Army and deep state in quelling the innocent voices of the people of PoJK, who are fighting for basic amenities and food at reasonable prices; and the silence adopted by the global community against the oppressive measures of the Pakistan Army.

If one turns the pages of history, one finds that the partition of British India in August 1947 profoundly altered the political and administrative history of the erstwhile princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. At the time of partition, Jammu and Kashmir was a princely state ruled by Maharaja Hari Singh, and its future was not automatically determined by the religious composition of its population.

Following the outbreak of armed conflict in October 1947 and Maharaja Hari Singh's accession to India, Pakistan illegally established control over a large part of the state. These territories subsequently evolved into two distinct administrative regions: Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan. In the western areas, a provisional administration was proclaimed in October 1947, and the territory came to be known as so-called Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). Its constitutional and administrative arrangements evolved over subsequent decades, with Pakistan retaining substantial influence over its governance and strategic affairs.

As a result, the Pakistani authorities did not pay heed to the plight of Kashmiris residing in PoJK. Subsequently, the agony of the people of PoJK and ongoing civil unrest in the region have been driven by a lack of infrastructure, severe economic exploitation, and political disenfranchisement, which are still ongoing.

1) Poor Infrastructure

For nearly eight decades, the people living in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir have continued to face serious deficiencies in basic infrastructure. Despite the region's strategic importance and abundant natural resources, infrastructure development has remained uneven and inadequate.

Roads, bridges, healthcare facilities, educational institutions, drinking-water systems, and reliable electricity networks have often failed to keep pace with the needs of the growing population. Remote mountainous areas remain particularly vulnerable, with poor road connectivity making access to hospitals, schools, and markets difficult. Frequent landslides, floods, and earthquakes further expose the fragility of the infrastructure and the limited capacity for timely disaster response.

2) Economic Hardships and Resource Exploitation

The people of PoJK have faced serious economic hardships despite the region possessing considerable natural resources and strategic economic potential. Although the region has abundant water resources, forests, minerals, and substantial potential for hydropower, the economic benefits generated from these resources do not adequately reach them.

Youth unemployment and underemployment have contributed to migration in search of better educational and employment opportunities. Economic hardship is further aggravated when people living in these areas perceive that the region's strategic importance is not matched by adequate investment in local welfare.

3) Political Suppression and Rights

It is a well-known fact that the PoJK region lacks genuine self-rule and remains tightly controlled by federal authorities in Islamabad. Local legislative bodies face heavy interference from Pakistan's military and political establishments. The area's legal framework prevents residents from integrating fully or claiming complete democratic representation.

Furthermore, the people living in PoJK are treated with suspicion. Their day-to-day activities are watched by the Pakistan Army, ISI, and other Pakistani intelligence agencies. Even peaceful demonstrations are treated as serious crimes in PoJK.

The Pakistan Army and security forces have frequently resorted to the use of live ammunition and brutal force to disperse civil rights and peaceful socio-political demonstrations called by local platforms such as the Joint Action Committee (JACC), leading to civilian casualties and injuries during assembly and economic-rights protests.

To date, at least 40 to 50 people have reportedly been killed by the Pakistan Army in PoJK. Such atrocities have been evident in areas like Rawalakot and Mirpur.

According to reports, protests have intensified across PoJK in recent days. The region has also witnessed restrictions on movement and communication, with reports of curfew-like measures and disruptions in internet and telecommunication services. Social media accounts linked to the Jammu Kashmir Joint Action Committee accused security forces of using lethal force against protesters. JAAC has appealed to the United Nations, international human rights organizations, and democratic governments to intervene.

It is surprising that the response from the international community to the agony of the people of PoJK has been inadequate. Failed Field Marshal Asif Munir's Uncle Sam (USA), close ally the People's Republic of China, Western countries, and especially the Western media have turned a deaf ear to the atrocities allegedly committed by the Pakistan Army against innocent people of PoJK.

It is equally astonishing that the global community, especially the human rights watchdogs of the United Nations, has failed to send a fact-finding mission to PoJK. There has, however, been a lukewarm response from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The same lobby has a different rhetoric on human rights in India than towards this region. Although Jeremy Laurence said, "that the criminalization of a civil society organization and imposition of strict limitations on gathering in PoJK raises serious concerns about the infringement on the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association," others have turned a deaf ear to the sufferings of the people of PoJK.

Even the Norwegian Foreign Minister, Espen Barth Eide, did not take up the issue of the use of excessive force by Pakistani security agencies against peaceful demonstrators during the bilateral summit with Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on 13 August 2026. He also did not express concern over the suffering of the people of PoJK at the hands of the political leadership, Pakistan Army, and deep state, even though references to Jammu and Kashmir and Afghanistan were made in the joint statement issued by both countries.

The reference to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir was totally unwarranted and uncalled for.

It is equally disturbing that, in our own country, champions of the minority community have chosen to remain mum on the killings of innocent people in PoJK. On the contrary, even on trivial issues pertaining to minority communities, the hue and cry is loud but deplorable.

The same goes for international media houses, which are as eager to blow trivial issues out of proportion to please their bosses.

The author may mention here that Pakistan's military junta, deep state, and political leadership celebrate 5 February every year as so-called Kashmir Solidarity Day. In one of his speeches, Field Marshal Asim Munir described Kashmir as the jugular vein of Pakistan. He also mentioned during his speech that Pakistan is non-existent without its jugular vein.

But the same portion of the jugular vein illegally occupied by Pakistan, i.e., PoJK, is bleeding. People there have been crying for basic amenities for the last eight decades. Instead of solving their problems, the Pakistan Army and security agencies have chosen the path of suppressing the people's movement in PoJK by using extensive force.

This reflects the hypocrisy and demonstrates that the authorities in Pakistan are more interested in landmass and natural resources than in the well-being of the human beings residing in PoJK. Hence, the Pakistan military junta has already abandoned these Kashmiris residing in PoJK, illegally occupied by Pakistan.

Therefore, it is the right time for all right-thinking people, both at the national and international levels, to come forward and join hands in condemning the oppressive measures adopted by the Pakistan Army and other security agencies against the innocent Kashmiris residing in PoJK.