Families in Pakistan-administered Kashmir are demanding transparency and answers following a wave of deadly unrest and poll-related violence that left dozens dead.
According to a 47-page report by the UK-registered Jammu Kashmir Human Rights Observatory (JKHRO), at least 90 deaths have been documented since June across the semi-autonomous region. The unrest initially erupted over surging electricity prices and living costs before broadening into a challenge against the regional political structure.
Grassroots activists under the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) called for boycotting phased elections held from late July to August. Protesters sought the abolition of 12 regional Legislative Assembly seats reserved for refugees from Indian-administered Kashmir. The Pakistani government rejected the demands, proscribed JAAC under anti-terrorism laws, and launched a security crackdown that rights groups claim involved extra-judicial killings, wrongful detentions, and human rights abuses.
Families of victims report long searches for missing relatives, opaque detentions, and disputed circumstances surrounding deaths and burials. In one documented case, 26-year-old Fahad Barkat went missing after visiting a military hospital in Rawalakot in June and was later confirmed dead by local media. His family alleged that authorities withheld his body unless they signed a statement characterizing him as a terrorist.
Other families reported similar distress regarding missing relatives or unverified encounters. JKHRO has urged authorities to provide written responses, operational orders, and custody, mortuary, and burial records, while calling for independent and transparent investigations into all documented casualties.