The ongoing killings in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) are not a sign of administrative breakdown but a deliberate expression of a political system designed to deny residents meaningful control over their own future, according to an analysis published by US-based outlet Jacobin. The report, cited in coverage dated 2 August, argues that Islamabad's promised autonomy for the occupied region has 'long been a sham.'

What the Analysis Found

The Jacobin report contends that despite PoK being officially projected as politically autonomous and not formally integrated into the Pakistani state, the ground reality is starkly different. According to the report, Islamabad responds to public demands for genuine democracy with repression and coercive measures. 'In practice, the ongoing dispute involves election manipulation, especially through so-called reserve seats. Islamabad rigs and manipulates elections to install a puppet government in PoK,' the report stated.

The analysis further argues that although the administration in the occupied territory appears local in structure, 'it governs through institutions whose ultimate authority lies elsewhere' — namely, Islamabad. Economic exploitation and political subordination, the report argues, are not separate processes but 'different expressions of the same structure of domination.'

Scale of the Unrest

Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is currently witnessing what observers describe as the most extensive confrontation between the local population and the Pakistani state in decades. Protests reportedly began on 5 June and have continued to intensify. An internet shutdown has remained in force across the territory since that date, with cellular communication services also suspended.

Protesters allege that Pakistani security forces launched a severe crackdown as unrest spread, with more than 50 people reportedly killed and hundreds injured over several weeks. Protesters further claim the actual death toll could be significantly higher than officially acknowledged figures.

Root Causes: Beyond the Economic Trigger

While the immediate trigger for the protests was a worsening economic situation — marked by rising electricity tariffs, soaring fuel prices, inflation, and declining living standards — the report argues the unrest is rooted in deeper structural grievances. Residents of PoK, according to the analysis, bear the consequences of decisions over which they exercise little or no democratic control.

'The extraction of resources, the imposition of austerity, and the transfer of decision-making power to Islamabad are not separate processes but different expressions of the same structure of domination,' the report read. The failure of local authorities — operating under the direction of Pakistan's federal government and military — to address the core demands of the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) has further fuelled mounting public discontent.

Pakistan's Narrative Under Scrutiny

The crackdown has exposed a sharp contradiction in Islamabad's longstanding narrative of championing the cause of Kashmiri Muslims. Despite projecting itself as a defender of Kashmiri interests on international forums, Pakistani security forces have reportedly killed several civilians in the occupied territory amid the escalating unrest. Critics argue that the Pakistani ruling class is not merely defending a government or an institution but, as the Jacobin report puts it, 'an entire structure of domination whose stability depends upon preventing the people of Jammu Kashmir from exercising effective control over their political and economic future.'

As the situation in PoK remains volatile with communications restricted, independent verification of casualty figures and ground conditions continues to be severely limited.