A British national was shot dead in Pakistan-administered Kashmir during clashes between security forces and protesters, the Guardian can reveal.
Another Briton has been held in a regional prison for more than two months despite his family’s efforts to secure his release through the Foreign Office.
The details, which have not been previously reported, shed light on how Britons with familial ties to the region have been affected by the clashes, which have killed dozens in the Himalayan territory and posed the biggest challenge for Pakistani authorities in recent years.
Mohammad Akhtar, ۵۰, a resident of Peterborough, was killed on ۹ June after his family said Pakistani security forces opened fire on a gathering where protesters were demanding economic and electoral reforms in the disputed region that is also claimed by India.
Akhtar was staying in the city of Kotli, close to the area where the clashes occurred, and his family said he was hit by a stray bullet.
“He wasn’t taking part in protests but the demonstrations were happening close to his house,” said Mohammad Saad, Akhtar’s cousin.
“There was firing by the forces that day and he was hit by a stray bullet. There was a bullet wound on the side of his chest,” said Saad, adding that Akhtar’s children decided not to pursue the matter with British authorities.
They could not get a police complaint registered in Kashmir and feared that the family could be targeted if the case was highlighted, said Saad.
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) said: “The UK is deeply concerned by the situation in parts of Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
“FCDO ministers and the UK high commissioner in Islamabad are in touch with their counterparts, and UK travel advice was updated on ۷ August and continues to advise against all but essential travel to affected areas.”
It is understood that MP Hamish Falconer, during his previous role as a Foreign Office minister, raised the situation in Kashmir in talks with his counterparts during a ۱۶-۱۷ June visit to Islamabad. Stephen Doughty, who currently holds the role in the Foreign Office, has also been in touch with his counterparts.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry and its high commission in London did not respond to the Guardian’s requests for comment.
Islamabad has been accused of launching a violent crackdown on supporters of the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), a civil society group that launched protests in Kashmir months ahead of a three-phase vote in the region that began on ۲۷ July and which have been repeatedly disrupted by the unrest.
Pakistan declared the JAAC a terrorist organisation and has imposed a communications blackout in the region since ۵ June. Its security forces have been accused of fatally shooting at least ۳۰ people during demonstrations last month – charges the government has rejected.
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The JAAC said Pakistani authorities were trying to suppress dissent and have detained scores of its supporters, who it said were ordinary Kashmiris. It has described the current elections as a “sham”, being held “at gunpoint”.
Waqas Arif, ۳۸, a British national from Nottingham, was among those detained in the Kashmiri city of Mirpur after protests on ۵ June, but his family said he did not take part in the demonstrations.
His sister Sumera said: “Waqas was not involved in any kind of protests. But since my other two brothers were involved and they went for the protests with everybody else, the Pakistani forces along with the Rangers came into my house and they took my brothers away.
“There is no charge. He hasn’t done anything. This is my brother, but I think there are thousands of other brothers like him from everywhere who they have put in [prison] so they can minimise the protest power … they have not even been taken to court,” she said.
Arif’s wife, Varisha Kampulvi, said British authorities had not been able to make direct contact with him since he was taken to the prison in Mirpur.
Kampulvi has highlighted Arif’s case to British authorities. A Foreign Office email sent to her on ۲۶ June said: “Consular staff have been able to make contact with officials at the prison where Waqas is currently being held, although we have not had direct contact with Waqas.
“The authorities have confirmed that Waqas is in good health, which we were extremely pleased to hear.”
