Over 50 British Parliamentarians have urged Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper to intervene as a communications blackout and security crackdown grip Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

More than 50 British lawmakers have written an urgent letter to Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, demanding the UK government take diplomatic action over a sweeping communications blackout and security crackdown in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

Led by MP Imran Hussain, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Kashmir, the lawmakers flagged deepening concern over reports of internet and mobile service disruptions and mass arrests -- including of British nationals -- and a breakdown in dialogue between Pakistani authorities and representatives of the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), a civic movement that has led prolonged protests over governance, subsidies, and basic rights in the territory.

Background and ContextPakistan-Occupied Kashmir, nominally self-governing but in practice heavily controlled by Islamabad and the Pakistani military establishment, has witnessed escalating unrest over recent years.

The JAAC emerged as a prominent protest movement demanding subsidised wheat and electricity, long promised to residents but frequently withheld.

Previous rounds of protests in 2023 saw demonstrators met with tear gas, baton charges, and live ammunition by Pakistani security forces and paramilitary units, resulting in deaths, hundreds of injuries, and mass detentions of activists and political leaders.

Human rights organisations have repeatedly documented the heavy-handed response of Pakistani security forces in the territory, where freedom of expression and the right to peaceful assembly are routinely curtailed. 

Source:Ndtv