PoK Unrest Spreading Beyond Region, JUI-F Chief Warns Pakistan | Exclusive

Published 1 August 2026 · world

PoK Unrest Spreading Beyond Region, JUI-F Chief Warns Pakistan | Exclusive Reported By, Last Updated: August 01, 2026, 11:05 IST Fazl-ur-Rehman claimed around 80 people

PoK Unrest Spreading Beyond Region, JUI-F Chief Warns Pakistan | Exclusive Reported By, Last Updated: August 01, 2026, 11:05 IST Fazl-ur-Rehman claimed around 80 people had been killed since June 5 and warned that the protest movement was spreading across Pakistan and Europe. Rapid Read Supporters of JAAC set fire to block a road during a protest in Muzaffarabad, PoK. (REUTERS) Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman has urged the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) to exercise restraint and delay any major steps, while calling on the Pakistan government and state institutions to abandon the use of force and seek a political resolution to the continuing unrest in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Fazl-ur-Rehman said the Pakistan military had failed to suppress the JAAC’s movement through force and warned that the protests were now spreading beyond PoK to other parts of Pakistan and Europe.

‘Situation Must Be Resolved Through Dialogue’ The JUI-F chief criticised the authorities’ reliance on force, saying the government and the establishment must recognise the gravity of the situation and shift their focus towards peace, reconciliation and a political settlement. He said the JAAC’s sit-in and protests had continued for more than two months and that the crisis could not be allowed to remain unresolved. Fazl-ur-Rehman urged the committee to show restraint and postpone major decisions while efforts were made to find a peaceful way forward. Around 80 Killed Since June 5 According to Fazl-ur-Rehman, around 80 people have been killed in PoK during crackdowns by Pakistan’s security forces since June 5. He alleged that protesting Kashmiris were living under constant fear because of military action and state oppression. The JUI-F chief said the authorities must stop treating the protests merely as a law-and-order problem and instead address the political grievances driving the agitation.

Criticism Of Pakistan Military’s Approach Rehman condemned what he described as the Pakistan military’s approach towards the demonstrations and accused the government of neglecting political solutions in favour of coercion. He said the use of force had neither crushed the movement nor restored normalcy. Instead, he warned, the agitation was gaining wider support and spreading across Pakistan as well as among Kashmiri communities in Europe. The Pakistan Army, state institutions and the government must understand the seriousness of the crisis rather than continuing to use violence in PoK, he said. Calls For Peace And Reconciliation Fazl-ur-Rehman said Kashmiris deserved to be treated by the state with care and protection rather than fear and brutality. He called upon both the government and the establishment to move away from confrontation and initiate a process of peace and reconciliation with the protesters.