India Urges UN Probe into PoK Killings, Demands Internet Curbs Lifted

India has called on the United Nations human rights office to issue a report on Pakistan’s response to alleged human rights violations in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoK). The demand, made this week at the 81st session of the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee during an interactive dialogue with UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk, specifically urged impartial investigations into killings by security forces and due process for detained protest leaders. First Secretary Anuj Swarup delivered India’s statement, highlighting concerns over "selectivity and double standards" in the functioning of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), while reaffirming India’s commitment to multilateral cooperation.

New Delhi’s intervention also pressed for the lifting of internet restrictions across PoK, a region where mobile data and broadband services had been severely limited for over 100 days by September 15, disrupting daily life, online banking, and academic schedules. Swarup explicitly called for an OHCHR report addressing these issues and urged Pakistan to reflect on the human rights situation in areas India describes as under its illegal occupation.

This diplomatic push follows months of unrest in PoK, where the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC) has mobilized residents over grievances concerning political representation, economic issues, and governance. The committee's demands include the abolition of 12 regional legislature seats reserved for refugees from Jammu and Kashmir living elsewhere in Pakistan, alongside calls for reforms in electricity tariffs, wheat subsidies, public services, and local resource distribution. The agitation escalated in June, leading to a ban on the committee and clashes with security personnel, which resulted in deaths and injuries among both protesters and law enforcement. The UN human rights chief subsequently called for prompt, thorough, and impartial investigations into all deaths linked to the unrest.

The agitation, which continued into October, saw a region-wide strike in September, as reported by CNN-News18’s Manoj Gupta. This strike shut shops and markets, and disrupted public transport in areas including Bhimber, Mirpur, Muzaffarabad, Neelum Valley, and Rawalakot. Committee leader Sardar Umar Nazir Kashmiri emphasized the movement's commitment to peaceful means. At a mass gathering in Rawalakot’s Eidgah ground on October 9, JKJAAC core committee member Sardar Amaan Khan reiterated that the movement would persist until its demands were met, warning the administration that their restraint should not be mistaken for abandoning the campaign.

What to watch: Continued international scrutiny on human rights in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

Editor's note: The draft accurately synthesizes the source material, capturing the diplomatic context, specific demands, and the ongoing unrest described in the text.