Jun 13, 2026 14:40 pm IST

Opinion | The Kashmir Protest Pakistan Cannot Blame On India

Islamabad has long viewed political mobilisation in PoK through an external lens of alleged Indian 'interference'. But the recent uprisings in the region lays bare the limits of its own policy.

Aishwaria Sonavane Aishwaria Sonavane Columnist

Aishwaria Sonavane Columnist

Historically, a common narrative regarding Kashmir administered on both sides of the Line of Control (LoC) has rested on the assumption that violence in these regions can only be understood through the lens of India-Pakistan rivalry. The ongoing anti-establishment uprising in Rawalakot, Muzaffarabad, and Mirpur, in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), challenges that assumption, given its origins in Pakistan's own political history and deep-rooted grievances between the federal government and peripheral regions. 

Islamabad has long viewed political mobilisation in PoK through an external lens of alleged Indian interference, so-called foreign conspiracies, and opposition party machinations. A closer examination shows the grievances driving the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) movement remain localised, with serious concerns over electricity pricing, fiscal extraction, political representation, broken agreements, and the denial of meaningful local autonomy. 

To put this in the context of Pakistan's political history, since its partition from India in 1947, Pakistan has found it........

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