Seven killed in PoK unrest, India says Pakistan must be held accountable

3 min readNew DelhiJun 10, 2026 05:30 AM IST

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal. (File Photo)

With at least seven persons reported to have been killed in police action on protesters in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), India on Tuesday flagged the “severe police brutality” and called on the international community to hold Islamabad accountable for its “misdeeds and abuses”.

According to a report in Pakistan daily Dawn, at least 11 people, including four police personnel, were killed in Rawalakot on Sunday as security personnel cracked down on protesters from the banned Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC).

Responding to a question on Tuesday, the Ministry of External Affairs’ (MEA) official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: “We continue to see in this context, a pattern of fake news and videos emanating from Pakistan. It is a desperate attempt by Pakistan to cover up its own failings and deflect attention away from its human rights abuses. There are reports of severe police brutality in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in which several protesters have been killed and many injured. We hope the international community will hold Pakistan accountable for its misdeeds and abuses.”

According to the Dawn report, the clashes broke out after tensions flared over the death of a trader. “The situation started deteriorating after a trader affiliated with the JAAC was reportedly shot in an altercation with law enforcers on Saturday. The following day, protesters and law enforcement agencies clashed outside a Rawalakot hospital where the victim’s body was brought, resulting in the deaths of at least four policemen and seven protesters,” it said on Tuesday.

Officials have accused the protesters of attacking the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Rawalakot on Sunday.

#WATCH | Delhi | Responding to ANI’s question on protests in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal says, “We continue to see in this context, a pattern of fake news and videos emanating from Pakistan. It is a desperate attempt by Pakistan to cover up its own… pic.twitter.com/mgP3qC5M55

— ANI (@ANI) June 9, 2026

The JAAC is demanding abolition of reserved legislative seats for Kashmiri refugees living in PoK. While the group had earlier called for civic and governance reforms, it is now demanding constitutional changes, such as the abolition of refugee seats.

India commented on protests in PoK last year as well. In October 2025, while responding to questions, the MEA spokesperson had said: “We have seen reports on protests in several areas of Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, including brutalities by Pakistani forces on innocent civilians. We believe that it is a natural consequence of Pakistan’s oppressive approach, and systemic plundering of resources from these territories, which remain under its forcible and illegal occupation.” He had said that Pakistan should be held accountable for its “horrific human rights violations”.

India has always maintained that Pakistan has been in “illegal occupation” of parts of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.

Shubhajit Roy, Diplomatic Editor at The Indian Express, has been a journalist for more than 25 years now. Roy joined The Indian Express in October 2003 and has been reporting on foreign affairs for more than 17 years now. Based in Delhi, he has also led the National government and political bureau at The Indian Express in Delhi — a team of reporters who cover the national government and politics for the newspaper. He has got the Ramnath Goenka Journalism award for Excellence in Journalism ‘2016. He got this award for his coverage of the Holey Bakery attack in Dhaka and its aftermath. He also got the IIMCAA Award for the Journalist of the Year, 2022, (Jury’s special mention) for his coverage of the fall of Kabul in August 2021 — he was one of the few Indian journalists in Kabul and the only mainstream newspaper to have covered the Taliban’s capture of power in mid-August, 2021. ... Read More

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