Archive · 11 Oct 2026
PoK Families Seek Answers After Crackdown and Civilian Deaths
Protests began in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir because people were upset about electricity prices and the cost of living.
A group called the Joint Awami Action Committee also called for people to boycott elections.
A report says authorities banned the group and carried out a security operation.
Families say they still do not know exactly what happened to some relatives.
One case concerns Fahad Barkat, who went to a hospital to donate blood and did not return home.
A human rights group is asking authorities to share records and evidence about his death and other cases.
Other families are also searching for information about relatives who were arrested or killed.
The JAAC says more than 100 people have died since June 5, but residents believe the number may be higher.
Protests in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir began over electricity prices and rising living costs, then broadened into challenges to the region’s political structure.
The Joint Awami Action Committee called for an election boycott; the report says authorities later banned the group, arrested leaders, and launched a security operation.
The Jammu Kashmir Human Rights Observatory documented allegations surrounding Fahad Barkat’s death and called for records and other evidence from authorities.
Families of Shoukat Nawaz Mir and Jabir Mumtaz are also seeking information about their relatives’ fate and the circumstances of their deaths.
The JAAC has reported more than 100 deaths since June 5, while local residents say the actual toll is higher.
- Who
- Families of civilians in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, the Joint Awami Action Committee, and the Jammu Kashmir Human Rights Observatory.
- What
- Families are seeking information about missing relatives and deaths during and after a security crackdown; a human rights group is calling for records and answers.
- When
- The protests and reported deaths began in June; the article describes families still seeking answers months later.
- Where
- Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, including Rawalakot and Dhirkot.
- Why
- The protests began over electricity prices and rising living costs and developed into broader opposition to the region’s political and constitutional structure.
- Protest group
- Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC)
- Human rights organisation
- Jammu Kashmir Human Rights Observatory (JKHRO)
- Barkat report
- A 47-page report documenting the family’s account
- Barkat’s age
- 26
- Reported JAAC death toll
- More than 100 deaths since June 5; local residents say the actual toll is higher
- Information requested
- Written responses, casualty and detention records, operational orders, CCTV footage, hospital blood donor records, post-mortem documentation, and burial records