'We Need India's Help': PoK Leader Appeals For Rations, Medicines As Pakistan Intensifies Crackdown

Published 5 July 2026 · local

'We Need India's Help': PoK Leader Appeals For Rations, Medicines As Pakistan Intensifies Crackdown Published By, Last Updated: July 06, 2026, 00:06 IST In an

'We Need India's Help': PoK Leader Appeals For Rations, Medicines As Pakistan Intensifies Crackdown Published By, Last Updated: July 06, 2026, 00:06 IST In an exclusive interaction with CNN-News18, JAAC leader Sardar Aman appealed to India to provide rations and medical supplies to people in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Rapid Read Commuters ride past security personnel as they patrol a street ahead of a protest by the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) in Muzaffarabad, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). (IMAGE: AFP) Amid an intensifying crackdown on anti-government protests in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) made a direct appeal to India for humanitarian assistance on Sunday, urging New Delhi to help residents facing what it described as a military siege and shortages of essential supplies. In an exclusive interaction with CNN-News18, JAAC leader Sardar Aman appealed to India to provide rations and medical supplies to people in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, alleging that the Pakistani administration had imposed an economic blockade following a sweeping crackdown on the protest movement.

“We need India’s help," Aman said, claiming that residents were facing shortages of food and medicines as security forces intensified operations against protesters. The JAAC leader also called for the Line of Control (LoC) to be opened, arguing that civilians should be allowed to cross into India if conditions deteriorate further. “If Pakistan opens fire, we have the option to cross the border," Aman said, while urging India to intervene on humanitarian grounds. He also urged the abolition of the LoC in the Rajputs Poonch and Doda sectors, saying the current restrictions were worsening the hardships faced by people living in the region. The appeal comes as large-scale protests against the Pakistani administration gathered momentum across Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on July 3 and 4. The demonstrations, led by the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee, escalated after the Pakistani government banned the organisation under the Anti-Terrorism Act.

Security forces subsequently launched a crackdown, with more than 600 workers and senior political leaders, including Shaukat Nawaz Mir, reportedly arrested and placed on watchlists. Protesters and local activists have alleged that Pakistani authorities have imposed an artificial economic blockade, disrupting the supply of flour, food and essential medicines to several towns across the region. The developments mark an escalation in the ongoing unrest in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, with protest leaders now publicly seeking humanitarian assistance from India while accusing Islamabad of suppressing the movement through arrests and supply restrictions. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit About the Author Shankhyaneel Sarkar Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses.