Members of Kashmiri diaspora protest across UK over military crackdown in PoJK | Video

Tensions boiled over on the streets of the United Kingdom as hundreds of Kashmiri diaspora members and human rights activists staged protests outside the Pakistani High Commission in London and diplomatic missions across major British cities.

The protests follow a deteriorating security crisis in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK). Large-scale protests in the region have triggered a strong security response and a communications blackout.

Outrage over military crackdown and civilian deaths

Chanting anti-government slogans and holding banners demanding fundamental human rights, demonstrators in London, Bradford, Birmingham, and Manchester condemned what they termed a "brutal military suppression" of peaceful civil rights movements.

The immediate catalyst for the UK protests was a deadly escalation in the PoJK town of Rawalakot. Led by the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC)—a prominent rights group campaigning against soaring inflation, food shortages, and inflated electricity prices—local citizens have been protesting for months.

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However, the situation reached a breaking point after the Pakistani government formally banned the JAAC under anti-terrorism laws and deployed heavy paramilitary units, including the Pakistani Rangers and Punjab Police, to crush the movement.

Activists allege that security forces opened fire with live ammunition on unarmed crowds, resulting in dozens of civilian casualties and widespread arbitrary detentions.

"Large quantities of weapons and heavily armed individuals have entered PoJK from Pakistan, creating an atmosphere of terror. We are seeing a massacre of our youth who are simply asking for basic economic and social dignity," Mahmood Kashmiri, Chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir National Independence Alliance (JKNIA) told news agency ANI in an interview. 

Internet blackouts and human rights violations

The outrage in the UK has been compounded by a total internet and mobile communication lockdown imposed by Pakistani authorities across PoJK. Protesters outside the High Commission in London expressed deep anxiety over the safety of their families, saying they have been cut off from loved ones for days.

Prominent PoJK political activist Amjad Ayub Mirza issued an urgent appeal to the international community, calling the ongoing blockade a deliberate attempt to hide state atrocities from global eyes.

The escalating violence in PoJK has drawn sharp international attention, with British lawmakers facing growing pressure from their constituents to address the humanitarian crisis.

Amid mounting concerns, more than 50 UK lawmakers have signed a letter raising concerns over alleged repression and communication blackouts in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Protesters outside the London mission vowed to continue their blockades until the internet is restored, political prisoners are freed, and the Pakistani military rolls back its heavy presence from civilian areas. Organisers have warned that if the violence in Rawalakot and surrounding regions does not cease, the diaspora will escalate their demonstrations to the UN headquarters and other major international embassies.