Amnesty International has called on Pakistani authorities to immediately release Ahmad Farhad, a journalist and poet from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), warning that his continued detention violates his right to freedom of expression. Farhad has been held under administrative detention in Bagh, PoK, since 20 June, according to the rights organisation.

Detention and Hunger Strike

Amnesty International confirmed that Farhad is being held under the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance at the Bagh city police station, without a formal arrest warrant or legal grounds, according to rights groups. He was detained on 20 June while returning home after covering a Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) protest in Rawalakot.

Farhad has since launched a hunger strike to protest what he describes as unlawful detention. Amnesty has also alleged that Pakistani authorities have been pressuring him to record statements denouncing the ongoing protests in PoK. 'He is currently on a hunger strike to protest his unlawful detention. Amnesty calls on the Pakistani authorities to immediately release Ahmed and refrain from coercive tactics which curtail his right to freedom of expression,' the organisation said in a statement.

What Rights Groups Are Saying

Ireland-based rights group Front Line Defenders had earlier urged Pakistani authorities to release Farhad and drop all charges against him, alleging he is being targeted for his independent reporting and human rights work in PoK. The organisation strongly condemned the crackdown, stating it is 'not an isolated incident but part of a broader pattern of violence against individuals who speak out against authorities.'

Front Line Defenders noted that journalists like Farhad are especially vulnerable as they challenge state-sponsored narratives and report independently from the ground. The group also documented a prior incident in 2024 in which Farhad was abducted — an episode that later turned into a formal arrest — pointing to a pattern of criminalisation and stigmatisation by state authorities.

The Broader Crackdown in PoK

Farhad's detention is part of what rights organisations describe as a sweeping crackdown on peaceful assembly in PoK, triggered by the JAAC-led protest movement demanding rights and justice. According to Front Line Defenders, thousands of protesters were reportedly arrested under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance, a provision that permits preventive detention with limited recourse to judicial review.

This comes amid sustained international scrutiny over civil liberties in PoK, where independent journalists and human rights defenders have reported increasing restrictions on movement, communication, and assembly. Notably, this is not the first time Pakistani authorities have faced international pressure over the treatment of journalists covering the JAAC movement.

Who Is Ahmad Farhad

Farhad is a journalist and poet who covers social justice issues, human rights violations, and the suppression of peaceful protest movements in PoK. His reporting has focused on the JAAC movement, which rights groups say has faced a 'disproportionate use of force and repression' by Pakistani authorities. His case has now drawn the attention of two major international human rights organisations, amplifying pressure on Islamabad to respond.

With both Amnesty International and Front Line Defenders calling for his release, the international spotlight on Pakistan's treatment of journalists in PoK is unlikely to ease in the near term.