3 weeks ago
India Rebukes New York Times' 'Pakistani Kashmir' Headline Amid Unrest
Kashmir is a special place in South Asia.
Part of it is ruled by Pakistan, and India says that is wrong.
Recently, people living in that part of Kashmir got very angry and protested.
They did not want to take part in elections Pakistan was holding there.
Pakistani soldiers used guns, and many people got hurt or died.
On the same day, India's office in Washington, D.C., told a famous newspaper to stop calling the area 'Pakistani Kashmir.'
India said the right name is 'Pakistan-occupied Kashmir' and that the elections were a 'farce.'
People from Kashmir living in London marched to Pakistan's embassy to show they were angry.
India asked the world to watch what was happening.
It all happened because people there feel they are being treated unfairly.
India's Embassy in Washington rebuked The New York Times for headlining its report 'Clashes Erupt in Pakistani Kashmir,' asserting that 'there is no Pakistani Kashmir... only Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.'
Unrest in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir has killed more than 50 people and injured hundreds of civilians in recent days, drawing international condemnation.
On July 29, 2026, Pakistani security forces fired live rounds into crowds of unarmed civilians in Mirpur, Kotli, Rawalakot and Muzaffarabad who had gathered to boycott local elections.
India's Ministry of External Affairs called the PoK elections a 'complete farce' and a 'cosmetic exercise' aimed at legitimising Pakistan's 'illegal occupation,' adding that at least 90 civilians have died in the crackdown since June 2026.
British and diaspora Kashmiris marched from Hyde Park to the Pakistan High Commission in London to protest against atrocities by Pakistani forces.
- Who
- The Indian Embassy in Washington, India's Ministry of External Affairs and its spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, Pakistani security forces, and protesters in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and London.
- What
- India objected to The New York Times' use of 'Pakistani Kashmir' and condemned Pakistan's crackdown and local elections in PoK as a 'farce' designed to legitimise its occupation.
- Where
- Washington, D.C.; Mirpur, Kotli, Rawalakot and Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir; and London.
- When
- The diplomatic rebuke and the firing on crowds both occurred on July 29, 2026; the unrest has unfolded over recent days, and the crackdown has reportedly continued since June 2026.
- Why
- Residents reportedly refused to participate in elections they view as a sham under Pakistani occupation, while India sought to counter what it calls 'sloppy Western terminology' that masks Pakistan's occupation.
India's Position
Pakistan's Position
Name of the territory
India's Position
There is no 'Pakistani Kashmir' — only 'Pakistan-occupied Kashmir' (PoK), a territory under what India calls an illegal occupation, and Western media should not use sloppy terminology that launders occupation into ownership.
Pakistan's Position
Islamabad treats the region as part of Pakistan, which is why the territory was referred to as 'Pakistani Kashmir' and why Pakistan proceeded with local elections there.
The local elections
India's Position
The elections are a 'complete farce' and a 'cosmetic exercise' staged to manufacture legitimacy for Pakistan's occupation while civilians are being killed and repressed.
Pakistan's Position
Islamabad called the vote a 'democratic exercise' and held it despite the boycott by residents.
Key facts
- Death toll (recent unrest)
- More than 50 killed
- Civilians killed since June 2026
- At least 90 (per India's Ministry of External Affairs)
- Injured
- Hundreds of civilians
- Headline objected to
- 'Clashes Erupt in Pakistani Kashmir' (The New York Times)
- Key date
- July 29, 2026
- Towns affected
- Mirpur, Kotli, Rawalakot, Muzaffarabad
- India's description of the elections
- 'Complete farce' and 'cosmetic exercise'
- London protest
- March from Hyde Park to the Pakistan High Commission
Quotes
Randhir Jaiswal
Spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs
“"On 29 July 2026, two things happened on the same day, in the same territory, and together they told the world everything it needs to know about Pakistan’s occupation of Kashmir."”
thehansindia.com
“"The so‑called local elections in Pakistan‑occupied Kashmir is a complete farce. The real happening is that of public protests and wanton killings by the Pakistani forces."”
thehansindia.com
Sources
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