UN rights chief calls for calm, dialogue amid AJK unrest

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on Friday appealed for calm in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and called for meaningful and inclusive political dialogue to address the underlying issues amid a wave of unrest ahead of the region's legislative assembly elections later this month.

His appeal came as the situation in AJK remained tense after the government banned the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), the group leading the protests, under anti-terrorism laws. The JAAC has continued its sit-in and vowed to sustain the protest until its "legitimate demands" are met.

Several protesters and law enforcement personnel have been killed in clashes since June ahead of the Legislative Assembly elections scheduled for July 27.

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Türk called for prompt, thorough, and impartial investigations into all deaths linked to the unrest, including those of protesters and security personnel.

The UN rights chief also expressed concern over the ban on the JAAC under anti-terrorism laws, saying the criminalisation of a civil society organisation and the imposition of strict restrictions on public gatherings raised serious concerns about possible violations of the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association.

He also called for detained JAAC leaders to be granted access to legal representation and their families, stressing that their rights to due process and a fair trial must be fully guaranteed.

Türk further voiced concern over restrictions on internet access in the region, saying they disproportionately curtailed the right to freedom of expression, including the freedom to seek, receive and impart information, at a time of heightened tensions.

"We urge the authorities to ensure full Internet access throughout the territory," he said.

The UN rights chief also reiterated his call for meaningful and inclusive political dialogue to address the grievances and concerns of the local population.

Background

The recent unrest and deadly clashes broke out in areas, including Rawalakot, where the JAAC had been holding a sit-in outside the Combined Military Hospital Rawalakot. AJK police allege that armed JAAC members opened fire on deployed law enforcement in a planned attack, leaving four personnel dead and around 20 injured. JAAC, however, disputes this account, claiming security forces used tear gas and fired shells toward the hospital.

According to the AJK police, three individuals linked to the JAAC and four law enforcement personnel were killed during the protests. JAAC, however, said in a statement that seven individuals were killed and dozens were injured when street firing was carried out in the dark after electricity was allegedly cut off.

The clash came as the AJK government and the JAAC witnessed a face-off, as the election date for AJK was announced for July 27.

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AJK's 53-member legislative assembly includes 12 seats reserved for Kashmiri refugees — people who fled Indian-controlled Kashmir in 1947 and 1965 and are now scattered across Pakistan. Six seats represent refugees from the Jammu division (~434,000 people) and six from the Kashmir Valley (~30,000 people) — an already lopsided arrangement that many see as unfair.

The region witnessed one of its most turbulent periods in October last year when protests led by the JAAC erupted over demands for constitutional and governance reforms. At least nine people, including three policemen, were killed during the unrest.

The JAAC, which organised the protests and strike, had presented a wide-ranging charter of demands, including an end to the privileges enjoyed by the ruling elite, the abolition of 12 assembly seats reserved for refugees, and the scrapping of the quota system.

Two days after the violence, the government and the JAAC reached an agreement covering 12 core and 13 additional points. Under the accord, both sides agreed to constitute a high-level committee to examine the issue of refugee seats in the AJK Legislative Assembly.