London, Oct 28 (SocialNews.XYZ) A leading international human rights organisation has called on British parliamentarians to recognise that the deepening human rights abuses in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) cannot be viewed solely as a law-and-order issue.
The UK-registered human rights documentation and monitoring body, Jammu Kashmir Human Rights Observatory (JKHRO), said that the abuses were inseparable from the occupied territory's unresolved political status, the denial of meaningful self-governance, and the Kashmiri people's longstanding demand for self-determination.
Addressing British parliamentarians during an online parliamentary briefing on Tuesday (local time), Yasir Shafaat, Director of JKHRO, said that what began as a demand for affordable flour and electricity in PoK has developed into a broader struggle over political rights, identity and the freedom of Kashmiris to determine their own future.
The organisation noted that the situation deteriorated sharply following the proscription of the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) by Pakistani authorities under anti-terrorism legislation on June 5, 2026, and the subsequent violent confrontation between protesters and security authorities.
JKHRO's Human Rights Situation Report documented 90 fatalities in PoK between June 5 and October 4, following the escalating unrest in the region.
The organisation raised serious concerns over "alleged unlawful killings, arrests, disputed detentions, missing persons, restrictions on communication, disruption of medical services and interference with children's education".
It referred to the official records showing that the registration of 13 private schools in the occupied territory had been withdrawn.
The organisation has also documented concerns about the use of measures under the Fourth Schedule of Pakistan's Anti-Terrorism Act against individuals associated with the movement.
JKHRO further said that British citizens have reportedly been affected by security-related measures, including alleged targeting linked to human rights work. It called for the identities, legal status and circumstances of those concerned to be independently established.
Shafaat emphasised that the present crisis in PoK demonstrated the direct relationship between the denial of political participation and the deterioration of fundamental human rights.
"When people are denied a meaningful voice in decisions about their land, resources and political future, economic grievances can develop into wider political unrest. When those demands are met primarily through coercive security measures rather than dialogue, the consequences are borne by ordinary civilians," he noted.
JKHRO urged British parliamentarians and the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) to press Pakistani authorities for independent investigations into reported deaths and injuries, clarification of detention and missing-person cases in PoK as well as protection of British nationals, restoration of essential civilian services and safeguards for human rights defenders in the region.
Source: IANS
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