Public resentment toward the army in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) is now spilling out into the open. Against this backdrop, a prominent leader linked to the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) has stated bluntly that the region is not Pakistan's own territory but a piece of land it seized and holds under occupation. He has also alleged that Pakistan is now working to permanently absorb the entire region into its own country.
An Audio Message Released from Hiding
According to TrendKia, senior JAAC leader Shaukat Nawaz Mir has put out a new audio message. In it, he explained that he is currently living in hiding because of government action against him. Mir said in plain terms that PoJK is not an independent nation but an “occupied territory.”
Alleged Admission by Army Officers
Mir claims that some senior officers of the Pakistani army have privately acknowledged that tribal raids were engineered here in 1947, after which Pakistan brought the area under its control through military action. He further stated that Muzaffarabad Sector Commander Brigadier Faik Ayub told local leaders that Azad Jammu and Kashmir is not a country but a Pakistan-occupied region, and that there is now a plan to merge it into Pakistan's various provinces.
A Stance That Contradicts Old Claims
According to Mir, this thinking runs directly against Pakistan's decades-old official position. He recalled that for years people here were told that Kashmir is a disputed region whose resolution would come through United Nations resolutions. If the talk now is of directly merging the region into Pakistan, he argued, it amounts to abandoning those very claims.
Anger Simmering Over Inflation and Power Tariffs
Over the past several months, PoJK has seen large-scale protests over hiked electricity tariffs, subsidy cuts, runaway inflation and administrative failures. The demonstrations were initially confined to economic demands, but they have gradually taken on a political character as well.
Arrests, Raids and Internet Shutdowns
In the name of keeping the situation under control, the Pakistani administration has carried out arrests in several areas, conducted raids, cut off internet services and launched security operations. Human rights organisations and local activists allege that the security forces used excessive force, while Pakistani officials argue that these steps were necessary to maintain law and order.
A Call for International Intervention
In his audio message, Mir also levelled serious accusations against the army, including enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests and the harassment of activists' families. He appealed to the international community and human rights bodies to step into the matter and demanded a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue.
