While Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) attracted global attention for its expanding cultural and cinematic footprint, a sharply contrasting picture emerged from Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) in the last week of September 2026 — with activists at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva raising formal concerns over alleged human rights abuses by Pakistani authorities in the occupied territory, according to a report.

Rights Abuses Flagged at UN Geneva

Activists at the UN Human Rights Council highlighted a series of grave concerns in PoJK, including deaths, arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, communications blackouts, and the militarisation of civilian life — all reportedly ongoing since 5 June 2026. UN High Commissioner Volker Türk told the Council that Pakistani authorities had used 'excessive lethal force and arbitrary detention to quell protests.'

Amnesty International had earlier described the designation of the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) as a terrorist organisation as 'disproportionate, unlawful, and a violation of the right to freedom of association.' Separately, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, through its own fact-finding mission in August 2026, linked the ongoing crisis in PoJK to long-standing grievances, institutional distrust, and what it described as 'an increasingly confrontational state response, including the disproportionate use of force.'

J&K's Cultural Momentum: Film Festival and Beyond

In stark contrast, the fifth Jammu Film Festival screened 53 films — 41 from 16 countries and 12 from Jammu and Kashmir — drawing more than 300 local artists and reportedly generating over 12 million social-media views. The festival underscored J&K's growing soft-power ambitions, even as the region continues to rebuild from the security disruptions earlier in the year.

The broader developmental picture on the Indian side is equally notable. Recognised startups in J&K reportedly rose from 69 in 2020 to 1,255 by December 2025, including 434 women-led firms. Investment in the first nine months of FY 2025-26 was estimated at ₹5,260 crore. Tourist arrivals hit a record high of more than 2.3 crore in 2024, before the Pahalgam massacre set the sector back. The government is now actively promoting Jammu as a year-round destination, with pilgrimage roads, homestay development, and 153 tourism events over seventeen months.

Employment data cited in the report indicates that more than 41,000 government jobs were created since 2019, and nearly 10 lakh people reportedly received self-employment support over four years. The handloom and handicrafts sector continues to employ over 3.5 lakh people, with almost half of them women.

PoJK's Electricity Grievance: Power for Others, Tariffs for Locals

Across the Line of Control (LoC), long-standing economic grievances compound the political unrest. PoJK hosts the Mangla reservoir, a major contributor to Pakistan's national power supply. According to figures from the Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), Mangla generates approximately 5 billion units of electricity annually. Yet residents of the occupied territory reportedly pay tariffs several times above the generation cost, following fuel adjustments and surcharges — a grievance at the heart of repeated mass protests demanding electricity at generation cost and wheat flour at affordable rates.

A Contrast That Goes Beyond Symbolism

The report emphasised that the divergence between the two sides of the LoC is not merely symbolic. It reflects fundamentally different institutional responses — one moving toward cultural openness, economic investment, and civilian engagement; the other, according to international human rights bodies, resorting to force, surveillance, and political suppression. This comes amid heightened international scrutiny of Pakistan's governance of PoJK, with multiple credible bodies — Amnesty International, the UN High Commissioner, and Pakistan's own Human Rights Commission — arriving at broadly similar conclusions. How Pakistan responds to this multilateral pressure will likely shape the trajectory of unrest in PoJK in the months ahead.