‘Hope Pak is held accountable for misdeeds’: India condemns massacre of Kashmiris in PoK

India on Tuesday reacted to reports of Pakistan’s alleged brutality in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, where several protesters had been killed and many injured during recent demonstrations, and said it hopes that the international community will hold Islamabad accountable for its misdeeds and abuses.

“There are reports of severe police brutality in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, in which several people have been killed and many injured. We hope the international community will hold Pakistan accountable for its misdeeds and abuses,” said Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal in a briefing on Tuesday.

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The MEA remarks come after Pakistani forces shot Joint Awami Action Committee protesters in Rawalakot, which reportedly left dozens dead.

While Pakistani official figures of the death toll differed, videos circulating on social media claim that the number of casualties may be significantly higher.

Several Pakistani journalists and activists claimed on X that the actual casualty toll is in dozens.

However, these claims could not be independently verified.

‘Pakistan spreading fake news to divert attention from human rights abuses in PoK’

Jaiswal also accused Pakistan of spreading fake news and misinformation to divert attention from alleged human rights abuses in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), where tensions remain high days after a violent crackdown on protesters in Rawalakot.

Responding to reports emerging from the region, the MEA spokesperson said India had observed a “pattern of fake news and videos emanating from Pakistan” and described it as a desperate attempt to cover up its own failings.

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“We continue to see, in this context, a pattern of fake news and videos emanating from Pakistan. It is a desperate attempt by Pakistan to cover up its own failings and deflect attention away from its human rights abuses,” Jaiswal said.

Pakistani forces claimed they launched the crackdown after the JAAC started a “guerrilla-style” attack from narrow lanes using firearms and petrol bombs.

Protests have spread across Mirpur, Muzaffarabad, Gilgit-Baltistan, Dadial, Rawalakot, Sudhnoti and Tattapani in PoK despite Pakistani authorities suspending mobile internet services in a bid to curb the unrest.

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Kashmiri diaspora In UK protests outside Pakistani mission

The protests have also reached the UK, where the Kashmiri diaspora gathered and protested outside a Pakistani mission. At least 30 British MPs have written to the British government to “engage proactively and use all appropriate diplomatic channels to encourage de-escalation and a peaceful resolution” of the situation.

Authorities have warned that they will block the proposed long march planned across POK, even as organisers have vowed to press ahead with the demonstration.

Human rights lawyer slams Munir-led establishment’s handling of PoK unrest

PoK has witnessed recurring protests over the past few years, with Kashmiris raising concerns over inflation, electricity tariffs, wheat prices, governance and political representation.

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UK-based Pakistani-origin human rights lawyer Sabine Kayani criticised the Asim Munir-led Pakistani establishment’s handling of the unrest in PoK. Kayani accused the Pakistan Army led by Asim Munir of turning “grief into a massacre” and said Kashmiris were being treated not as citizens but as “internal enemies”. She called the “Rawalakot bloodshed a profound spiritual betrayal”.

Another Pakistani-origin human rights activist, Aladeen, who is based in Germany, said that “the situation in PoK is worse” than what Islamabad alleges about Jammu and Kashmir.