Rome, August 10, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Thousands of members of the Kashmiri diaspora took part in a protest march in Bologna, Italy, condemning the alleged killing of civilians by Pakistani security forces in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) amid continuing unrest in the region.
The protesters raised slogans against Pakistani forces and expressed solidarity with the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), a civil society group leading protests in PoK.
The JAAC said in a post on X that Kashmiris in Italy had staged a strong demonstration and urged the international community to speak out against what it described as the “genocide” of unarmed civilians in the territory.
“Peaceful demonstrators are only demanding their basic rights,” the group said.
The demonstration in Bologna is part of a series of protests by Kashmiri diaspora groups in different countries, with protesters seeking international attention to the situation in PoK and calling for an end to what they describe as a crackdown by Pakistani authorities.
The Jammu Kashmir Human Rights Observatory (JKHRO), a PoK-based human rights documentation and monitoring organisation, has recorded 93 civilian deaths between June 5 and August 5 amid the escalating unrest, according to the information cited in the report.
Last week, members of the Kashmiri diaspora also demonstrated outside the Pakistani Consulate in Bradford, UK. The protesters, including women, children and elderly people, voiced support for the JAAC and called for an end to security operations in PoK.
They carried placards with messages including “Pakistan Stop Brutalities”, “Pakistan Stop Killing Kashmiris in Rawalakot” and “We Stand with Awami Action Committee”.
The situation has also drawn concern from British parliamentarians. Labour MP Liam Byrne described reports of live fire being used against peaceful protesters in PoK as “deeply alarming”.
Another British MP, Adnan Hussain, termed the civilian deaths a tragedy and called for any allegations of excessive or unlawful force by Pakistani authorities to be investigated through a full, independent and transparent process.
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