A young woman from Baramulla has taken the plight of thousands in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) to the international stage as she slammed Islamabad’s deadly crackdown on protests in the region at the 63rd Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
“There should be an independent probe into each killing with free and fair access to information related to all cases,” the Kashmiri woman said. Addressing the UNHRC General Assembly in Geneva, Akhtar said PoK has recently witnessed sustained peaceful protests led by the Joint Awami Action Committee and civil society groups over governance and economic issues, which were met with a brutal crackdown.
“The Pakistan government arrested hundreds of activists, detained key leaders, shut down the internet, and resorted to violent clashes that claimed dozens of lives, exposing political instability and public discontent in PoK,” she said. “In contrast, Jammu and Kashmir in India has advanced through skill development since 2024, generating employment and boosting local businesses, with Smart City initiatives and rural infrastructure further strengthening development,” she said.
