By AP and Reuters

This article was originally published on 17 July 2026.

The unrest in Pakistani-administered Kashmir has triggered international concern over human rights and stability ahead of the upcoming regional elections.

The United Nations human rights chief has called for an independent investigation into deadly unrest in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

On Friday, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk called on Islamabad to conduct “prompt, thorough and impartial investigations” into all deaths, both civilian and among security forces. At least 31 people have died in clashes since last month, as regional elections approach at month's end.

Recommended Stories

list of 3 items

end of list

The unrest has involved the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), an umbrella group of traders and activists.

Though the movement began as a protest against rising food costs and utility tariffs, the current crisis revolves around a legal dispute concerning legislative seats reserved for Kashmiri refugees. The JAAC demands the elimination of those seats, arguing that they enable non-residents to influence local election outcomes.

UN officials expressed alarm over Pakistan’s decision to classify the JAAC as a proscribed “terrorist” organisation under domestic anti-terrorism laws.

The global body warned that utilising anti-terror mechanisms to criminalise peaceful assembly and enforce widespread internet blackouts raises severe freedom of association concerns.

The crisis has amplified the long-running diplomatic feud between nuclear-armed neighbours India and Pakistan, which have both claimed the disputed Himalayan territory in full since their independence in 1947.

According to the Pakistani newspaper Dawn, the crisis hit a deadly new peak on July 14 during intense clashes in the Poonch division, where security forces attempted to clear roadblocks ahead of a planned JAAC “long march” to Muzaffarabad. The escalation resulted in nine deaths – seven civil activists and two law enforcement officers.

Defending the state actions during the violence, Poonch Divisional Commissioner Waheed Khan told Reuters that protesters had blocked a security convoy and attacked officials. “Police and security officials responded in self-defence.”

In New Delhi, the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in an official statement released on Wednesday that the unrest was a “direct consequence of Pakistan’s decades-long systemic exploitation” of the region.

Turk has appealed for immediate calm, pushing for “meaningful and inclusive political dialogue” over security-led measures to defuse deep-seated grievances regarding regional autonomy and inflation.

The dispute over reserved seats taps into long-standing grievances in the region, which has been a flashpoint between India and Pakistan since 1947. The decision to designate the JAAC as a terrorist organization has raised alarms about the suppression of dissent. As the election date nears, further violence could deepen the diplomatic rift between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.