Geneva [Switzerland] June 25 : The leaders of the United Kashmir People's National Party (UKPNP) at the sidelines of the 59th UNHRC session in Geneva raised alarm over escalating human rights abuses and state repression in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan (PoGB).
Chairman Sardar Shaukat Ali Kashmiri and spokesperson Nasir Aziz Khan condemned Pakistan's systematic crackdown on dissent, the targeting of political activists, and the silencing of the media.
Sardar Shaukat Ali Kashmiri, Chairman of UKPNP, spoke at the sidelines of the session, stressing the worsening situation in both PoJK and PoGB. "Leaders of the National Action Committee in PoGB are jailed without access to basic facilities," he said.
He condemned Pakistan's crackdown on dissent in PoJK, revealing the recent extrajudicial killing of two brothers and the subsequent suppression of media coverage. The press club that tried to report the incident was shut down. The victim's family continues to be harassed, and no FIR has been registered, he added.
He urged the UNHRC to send a fact-finding mission to hear the voices of the victims directly.
Speaking alongside him, UKPNP spokesperson Nasir Aziz Khan echoed these concerns. "We organised this protest to draw global attention to the growing extremism, terrorism, and state repression in PoJK and PoGB," Khan said.
He highlighted how political activists and human rights defenders are being jailed on fabricated charges for demanding basic rights, justice, and control over local resources.
Khan also raised alarm over the lack of freedom of expression and the state's failure to rein in extremist forces. "During the recent crisis between India and Pakistan, extremist elements operated freely, while civilians near the Line of Control saw their homes destroyed and lives upended," he said. He called on Pakistan to compensate displaced families and ensure their rehabilitation.
The United Kashmir People's National Party (UKPNP) held a demonstration outside the United Nations headquarters in Geneva during the 59th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council. The protest aimed to spotlight severe human rights abuses in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) and Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan (PoGB), regions the UKPNP says are suffering under Pakistan's "colonial rule."