Pakistan-occupied Kashmir remains a region plagued by neglect, oppression and systematic exploitation by the Pakistani state and military establishment. While Pakistan claims to champion the cause of Kashmiris, the reality in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir paints a starkly different picture-one of human rights abuses, economic deprivation and relentless propaganda designed to mask the region’s suffering.
Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, which includes Mirpur, Muzaffarabad and Gilgit-Baltistan, has been treated as a colony rather than an integral part of Pakistan. Unlike Pakistan’s elite regions, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir remains underdeveloped, with poor infrastructure, lack of industrial investment and minimal access to quality education and healthcare. The region has witnessed consistent economic marginalization, as Pakistan’s federal government diverts its resources to Punjab and Sindh while leaving Pakistan-occupied Kashmir’s people to fend for themselves.
The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which passes through Gilgit-Baltistan, further highlights this exploitation. While Pakistan and China claim it will bring economic growth, local Kashmiris have been denied any real participation in decision-making. Instead, their lands have been seized without proper compensation, leading to protests that are brutally suppressed by Pakistani authorities.
The Pakistan Army wields absolute power in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, with civilian governments reduced to mere puppets. The army and intelligence agencies control the administration, ensuring that any voice of dissent is silenced. Arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings are common for activists demanding basic rights. Journalists and political leaders who question Pakistan’s policies are harassed, jailed or even eliminated under mysterious circumstances.
Even in times of natural disasters, such as the devastating 2005 earthquake, the army prioritized military logistics over civilian relief efforts. Corruption in the distribution of aid further exposed the military’s neglect and self-serving interests in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Pakistan portrays itself as the saviour of Kashmiri Muslims, blaming India for all problems in Jammu and Kashmir. State-controlled media channels like PTV and ARY churn out anti-India narratives while ignoring the suffering of people in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Social media is flooded with doctored images and fake news designed to instigate unrest in Jammu and Kashmir.
To divert attention from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir’s grim realities, the Pakistan Army runs a well-orchestrated propaganda campaign both domestically and internationally. The strategy revolves around three key elements:
The army ensures that any form of protest in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is either ignored or misrepresented. Movements for autonomy or basic rights are branded as “Indian-backed” conspiracies. Leaders like Sardar Arif Shahid, who exposed Pakistan’s colonial rule over Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, were mysteriously assassinated.
Pakistan exploits the Kashmir issue to deflect from its internal failures. Each time there is political instability, economic collapse or global scrutiny on its terror links, Pakistan raises the Kashmir bogey. This tactic has been used repeatedly to rally domestic support while ignoring pressing issues like inflation, unemployment and radical extremism.
Despite clear evidence of Pakistan’s oppressive policies in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, global attention remains fixated on Jammu and Kashmir. Human rights organizations have largely failed to highlight the severe human rights violations in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir due to Pakistan’s aggressive diplomacy and suppression of information. The people of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir deserve international recognition of their plight. The first step towards their liberation is breaking the Pakistan Army’s monopoly over narratives on Kashmir. Independent investigations into human rights abuses, economic exploitation and political oppression in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir are necessary to bring justice to the region. Until then, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir remains a tragic example of Pakistan’s hypocrisy-preaching freedom for Kashmiris while crushing their voices under military boots in its own backyard.
