India blames Pakistan’s ‘oppressive rule’ for unrest in PoK

India on Friday criticised Pakistan over the spiralling unrest in the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), holding Islamabad responsible for grave human rights abuses and systemic exploitation of the region.

Reacting to reports of violent demonstrations and the brutal use of force by Pakistani security personnel against civilians, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the turmoil was the inevitable outcome of Pakistan’s “oppressive and extractive policies”.

“We have seen reports on protests in several areas of the PoK, including brutalities by the Pakistani forces on innocent civilians. We believe this is a natural consequence of Pakistan’s oppressive approach and its systemic plundering of resources from these territories, which remain under its forcible and illegal occupation,” Jaiswal said.

He stressed that Pakistan must be held “accountable for its horrific human rights violations” and reiterated that the PoK remains an integral part of India, under illegal occupation by Islamabad.

The sharp Indian response comes amid continuing protests in Muzaffarabad, Kotli and other parts of the PoK, where locals have taken to the streets demanding governance reforms, accountability, better social services, infrastructure development and an end to corruption and nepotism.

The agitation, which began as a largely peaceful movement, has turned deadly. Fierce clashes between protesters and Pakistani law enforcement agencies have left at least 12 people dead and over 100 injured in recent days.

In a bid to defuse the crisis, a fresh round of negotiations between the government and the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) — a civil society alliance leading the protests — was held in Muzaffarabad on Thursday and Friday. Earlier talks between JAAC leaders, the AJK government and federal ministers had collapsed over contentious issues such as elite privileges and reserved seats for refugees, triggering further unrest.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhary hinted at a breakthrough following the latest talks. Posting on X, he said, “Praise be to Allah, positive progress regarding Azad Kashmir”, though he did not share further details.