What's Behind the Protests in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK)

Large protests have spread across Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), the part of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir that Pakistan controls and that India considers its own territory under illegal occupation. As of mid-June 2026, at least 15 people had been killed during the unrest, which comes about a month before scheduled local elections. Pakistani authorities responded with a crackdown: banning the group leading the protests, announcing rewards for the arrest of some leaders, and booking them on serious charges including terrorism and sedition.

The grievances are partly old and partly new. From 2023, residents began protesting over high electricity bills and shortages of subsidised wheat. A common complaint is that although large amounts of hydropower are generated locally from the Mangla dam, residents argue they were displaced for it yet still pay heavy power tariffs and that the dam was built without their consent. The region is seen as underdeveloped, with a heavy security presence, and anger has grown over the perks given to officials while ordinary people face economic hardship. The protests are led by a citizens' body called the Joint Awami Action Committee, formed by traders, professionals and civil-society activists.

The immediate trigger is political representation. The biggest sticking point is 12 seats in the PoK Assembly that are reserved for migrants from Jammu and Kashmir who are settled elsewhere in Pakistan. These members are effectively elected from outside PoK, and locals argue the federal government uses these seats to place its own people in the Assembly while PoK's own budget pays for them. In a 53-seat House, with various reservations, local voters effectively elect only 33 members. A recent court verdict held that changing this arrangement would need a constitutional amendment and was not something to be simply granted, which became a flashpoint.

India's official position is clear and long-standing: the entire territory of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, including PoK and the area Pakistan calls Gilgit-Baltistan, is an integral and inalienable part of India following the legal accession of Jammu and Kashmir in 1947. India rejects any attempt by Pakistan to change the status of these areas. On the current unrest, India condemned what it called "police brutality" in PoK and said it hoped the international community would hold Pakistan accountable. India has also separately protested recent elections held in Gilgit-Baltistan, through which the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor passes — a project India opposes.

For students, the useful threads here are the geography and status of PoK and Gilgit-Baltistan, India's consistent constitutional position on Jammu and Kashmir's accession, and the way economic grievances (power tariffs, development) can combine with demands for political representation to drive mass protests. A sizeable PoK diaspora in the UK has also drawn international attention to the situation.