Rising unrest in PoJK has sparked growing international concern over alleged security-force brutality, political grievances, civil-rights restrictions and the treatment of protesters.

A symbolic editorial illustration depicting allegations of restrictions on peaceful civilian protests in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK). The image portrays schoolchildren, parents and local residents participating in a demonstration while facing a security barricade, highlighting broader discussions around civil liberties, freedom of expression and public dissent in the region.

For decades, Pakistan has attempted to cloak its hostile designs on Jammu and Kashmir in the language of moral righteousness. Every few years, when its internal crises deepen or its global relevance wanes, Islamabad reaches for the same familiar script issuing resolutions, staging diplomatic theatrics and invoking hollow slogans of self-determination. Its latest move, the passage of a so-called plebiscite resolution in Pakistan’s National Assembly, fits squarely within this p