29/09/2025
To:
Secretary-General
United Nations
New York, USA
Subject: State Crackdown on Peaceful Public Movement in Azad Jammu & Kashmir and Human Rights Violations
Honourable Secretary-General,
We, the Jammu & Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee, wish to record through this letter our deep concern and protest regarding the state crackdown and grave human rights violations committed against the ongoing peaceful public movement in Azad Jammu & Kashmir.
Last year, the people held peaceful protests in favour of their legitimate economic and social demands. Regrettably, these peaceful gatherings were suppressed with the use of force. As a result of the police and security forces’ crackdown:
Three people lost their lives and several innocent civilians were injured,
Dozens of arrests were carried out,
Journalists and human rights defenders were harassed,
Fundamental constitutional and international rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly were blatantly violated.
Now, as the Jammu & Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee has announced a peaceful protest on 29 September 2025 for the restoration of people’s legitimate rights, a heavy deployment of police and forces has been placed in the region. This indicates yet another attempt to once again deprive the oppressed and unarmed people of their right to peaceful protest and to prolong the suppression of fundamental rights through state coercion.
These measures are not only in violation of the Constitution of Pakistan and the laws of Azad Jammu & Kashmir, but are also a clear breach of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
We strongly urge the United Nations and its relevant bodies to:
1. Ensure that the government respects and upholds the people’s right to peaceful protest and freedom of expression.
2. Dispatch a special representative of the United Nations to Azad Jammu & Kashmir to monitor and safeguard human rights.
We firmly believe that without the timely attention and effective intervention of the international community, the protection of human dignity and civil liberties in this region will remain at grave risk.
Respectfully,
Shaukat Nawaz Mir
Member, Core Committee
Jammu & Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee
