Amnesty urges Pakistan-administered Kashmir to free activists and end crackdown

The prime minister is urged to lift the ban on the Joint Awami Action Committee, imposed under anti-terrorism laws after months of protests over the cost of living Army personnel patrol outside a polling station during the first phase of voting for the local legislature in Mirpur, Pakistan-administered Kashmir, on 27 July 2026 (AFP/Qayyum) Published date: 14 November 2026 11:54 GMT | Last update: 9 sec ago Amnesty International has urged the newly formed government in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir to release hundreds of activists arbitrarily detained under anti-terrorism laws for protesting against the rising cost of living. In a letter to the newly elected Prime Minister Syed Iftikhar Ali Gilani, the rights group demanded that Gilani’s new administration improve the human rights situation by repealing the ban on the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC). “In [the] wake of swift and systematic steps taken by authorities since June in the region to repress civic freedoms, we call upon your government and all relevant authorities to ensure that the human rights of all those inside the region are upheld,” wrote Isabelle Lassee, deputy regional director at Amnesty’s South Asia Regional Office. “The arbitrary banning of Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), a grassroots people’s movement, by proscribing it under the first schedule of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Anti-Terrorism Act, 2014 violates the right to association, freedom of expression and peaceful assembly." Founded in 2023, JAAC is a coalition of traders, lawyers, students, civil society activists and local political figures who have campaigned against the high electricity bills, rising flour prices, heavy taxation and poor public services affecting Kashmiris in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Earlier this year, protests against the rising cost of living turned violent, leading to a harsh government crackdown and the banning of JAAC under anti-terrorism laws. Since the ban, hundreds of activists, protesters and journalists have been placed on anti-terrorism watchlists and arrested over alleged links to the group or their coverage of demonstrations. The ban has sparked widespread protests among Kashmiri diaspora communities in cities across Europe and North America. The unrest in Pakistan-administered Kashmir has also presented a major challenge for the region's newly installed government. Gilani, a member of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), became prime minister in August after being nominated by the party's central leadership, amid reported divisions within its regional ranks. His appointment followed months of protests and political unrest, with demonstrators raising grievances over governance, economic conditions and their treatment by the authorities. The crackdown has drawn international scrutiny, with UN experts and human rights organisations raising concerns about restrictions on civil liberties and the use of anti-terrorism legislation against activists. Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this form. More about MEE can be found here.