GENEVA — On June 26, 2026, a protest was organized outside the United Nations headquarters in Geneva, at the iconic Broken Chair monument, under the leadership of Sardar Shaukat Ali Kashmiri, Chairman of the United Kashmir People’s National Party (UKPNP). The demonstration was aimed at highlighting and condemning ongoing human rights abuses in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, the state of curfew imposed in Rawalakot, and recent mass shootings that left dozens killed and hundreds injured.
UKPNP Chairman Sardar Shaukat Ali Kashmiri also issued a video statement from the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) gallery in Geneva to inform the international community about the critical situation in the region. In his statement, he raised serious concerns over the crackdown, arbitrary arrests, and detentions of members of the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee, as well as the safety of local activists. He also pointed to an extended internet shutdown and communication blackout over recent days that has restricted access to the outside world. He urged the international community to take notice and support fundamental rights, while expressing appreciation to organizations and governments raising their voices on the issue.
The demonstration prominently featured several key slogans and demands displayed on protest banners at the venue, including "Pakistan: Stop the Brutality in Rawalakot AJK!", "Stop Killing Kashmiris in Rawalakot & AJK!", "Pakistan End Siege & Communication Blackout in Azad Kashmir POJK", "Bullets Cannot Silence Peaceful Voices!", "Blood on the Streets of Rawalakot - Stop the Violence!", and "Pakistan Kashmiri Demand: Return Bodies of Martyred in Rawalakot & Kotli Azad Kashmir POJK".
A diverse group of representatives spoke at the program to showcase solidarity with the Kashmiri people, including Munir Mengal, a Baloch representative at the UN, Jamil Maqsood, President of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the UKPNP, Mahmood Kashmiri, a Senior Leader of the UKPNP, Kamran Ayub, Sajd Hussain, Walid Sadiq, Aqeel Ahmed, Dr. Joseph, an NGO President, and Fazal ur Rahman Afridi, a Pashtun leader.
