London, August 9, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), which has been spearheading protests in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), has rejected allegations that it is backed or funded by India and challenged Pakistan to provide evidence supporting the claims, according to a report.
In an interview with UK-based newspaper The Independent, JAAC advisory council member S.A. Khan said the coalition of civil society and political organisations was not accountable to India and dismissed allegations that it was financially supported or controlled by New Delhi.
PoK has witnessed one of the most serious confrontations between local residents and the Pakistani state in decades, with reports of deadly violence, internet disruptions and alleged police brutality amid local elections. The protests initially focused on electricity prices and the cost of essential commodities but later expanded into demands for political reforms, greater accountability and representative governance.
Pakistan has repeatedly alleged that JAAC is backed by India since the protests began earlier this year. Pakistani authorities also banned the organisation under anti-terror laws in June.
Khan, however, said JAAC was an indigenous civil rights movement driven by local grievances.
“JKJAAC categorically rejects the allegation that it is sponsored, financed or controlled by India,” he said, according to The Independent. He described the movement as being rooted in concerns over electricity prices, essential commodities, governance, public resources, implementation of agreements and political representation.
While Pakistani authorities have maintained that security forces acted within the law against protesters, Khan rejected the characterisation of JAAC as an armed organisation and said the movement remained committed to peaceful protests.
At least 88 people had been killed in the unrest by August 3, according to documentation shared by the Jammu Kashmir Human Rights Observatory with the Awami Action Committee. Khan, however, said there was no reliable final count of injuries because access to hospitals, families and official records remained restricted, the report said.
Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has backed UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk’s call for an impartial investigation into deaths during the unrest.
UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq said the Secretary-General supported Turk’s position and stressed that authorities should allow peaceful protests. He added that accountability was necessary if people had been harmed while exercising their right to peaceful protest.
Turk had called for prompt, thorough and impartial investigations into all deaths during the unrest, including those involving protesters and security personnel.
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