By Pakistan Trade Union Defence Campaign (PTUDC)
The Pakistan Trade Union Defence Campaign (PTUDC) strongly condemns the arrest of Shaukat Nawaz Mir, a central leader of the Jammu Kashmir People’s Rights Movement, as well as the ongoing state repression, political victimization, violence, and the policy of suppressing peaceful protest through the use of force against the People’s Rights Movement.
We express our profound concern that, despite reports of Shaukat Nawaz Mir’s arrest, no clear or credible official information has yet been provided regarding his whereabouts, condition, or place of detention. Even more alarming is the fact that officials who initially confirmed his arrest have now adopted a policy of silence or denial. This constitutes a blatant violation of fundamental human rights.
Shaukat Nawaz Mir is neither a terrorist nor a criminal. He is a political leader engaged in the struggle for the legitimate political, economic, and democratic rights of the Kashmiri people. Portraying his arrest as part of an armed confrontation and attempting to discredit a mass popular movement is not only contrary to the facts but also represents a dangerous attempt to justify state repression. Equally condemnable are the baseless allegations of foreign conspiracies directed against the Kashmiri mass movement, the branding of its activists as traitors, and the poisonous propaganda being spread through mainstream and social media. The purpose of this campaign is to isolate the movement and incite hostility against it.
The Pakistan Trade Union Defence Campaign emphasizes that, from Balochistan to Kashmir, workers, youth, students, and oppressed nationalities are engaged in struggles for their fundamental political, economic, and social rights. Attempts to suppress these movements through force, arrests, fabricated cases, and violence will not resolve the underlying problems. On the contrary, they will deepen public resentment, instability, and the broader social crisis. The governments and state authorities concerned must abandon the path of repression and instead pursue dialogue, reconciliation, and the acceptance of the people’s legitimate demands.
It is also deeply regrettable that, although many of the People’s Rights Movement’s demands were accepted in the past, they have not been implemented. Instead, those raising these same demands are now being subjected to state repression. Such conduct is unacceptable in any civilized society.
At this critical moment, the Pakistan Trade Union Defence Campaign reiterates its previous position and puts forward the following demands:
– Shaukat Nawaz Mir must be immediately produced before the public and released, and full information regarding his health and place of detention must be disclosed.
– The decision to outlaw the Joint Public Action Committee must be revoked, and all legal restrictions imposed on the movement must be lifted.
– All detained leaders and activists of the People’s Rights Movement must be released immediately.
– State repression against the Kashmiri people—including arrests, fabricated criminal cases, and politically motivated reprisals—must cease immediately. All cases filed against political activists over the past period must be withdrawn.
– The uninterrupted supply of food, medicines, fuel, and other essential goods to Kashmir must be restored immediately.
– Internet and mobile phone services must be fully restored.
– The poisonous propaganda campaign and baseless accusations of treason directed against the Kashmiri mass movement through mainstream and social media must end.
– The paramilitary forces deployed against the popular movement in Pakistan-administered Kashmir must be withdrawn immediately in order to prevent further provocation, confrontation, and loss of life.
– The state must abandon the path of confrontation and repression and immediately resume negotiations with the movement.
– The political and economic demands of the Kashmiri people must be implemented in order to restore peace and create the conditions for a healthy democratic political process.
– All attempts to grant constitutional or legal status to draconian restrictions on grassroots political activity, criticism, freedom of expression, and freedom of speech—even more repressive than the notorious colonial-era laws—must be abandoned immediately. The anti-people bill introduced in the Punjab Assembly must be withdrawn, and similar measures or initiatives in other provinces and regions must be halted.
The Pakistan Trade Union Defence Campaign calls upon trade unions, workers’, peasants’, and students’ organizations, the legal community, human rights organizations, and all progressive forces across the world to express solidarity with the people of Kashmir and to unite in raising their voices against the ongoing state repression of political activists.
At the same time, we strongly condemn the opportunistic and provocative elements—both inside and outside Pakistan, including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Jamaat-e-Islami—that are attempting to exploit this genuine grassroots movement for public rights in pursuit of their own political agendas and vested interests. The movement must remain vigilant against these anti-people forces masquerading as “friends.” They have no genuine concern for the lives or demands of the Kashmiri people and seek only to use this struggle as a vehicle for self-promotion or as a bargaining chip in their dealings with the state. It is therefore essential to protect the movement from every attempt to push it toward extremism, violence, or reckless provocation.
We also wish to reiterate that we do not regard the current leadership of the movement as being beyond criticism or accountability. However, the movement’s internal weaknesses and shortcomings can never serve as a justification for state repression. We also appeal to the leadership of the Action Committee to demonstrate political maturity and foresight by formulating, through broad public consultation, a clear strategy and a concrete course of action capable of overcoming the prevailing atmosphere of confusion and uncertainty within the movement.
Stop the attacks on democratic freedoms!
No to state repression!
Immediately release Shaukat Nawaz Mir and all detained political activists!
Recognize the national, democratic, political, and economic rights of the people of Kashmir!
