The unravelling of Pakistan’s narrative on Kashmir

At 10:58 p.m. on 27 July, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, through his official social media account, was expressing solidarity with Spain over the devastating wildfires and conveying his sympathies to Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. By then, reports had already identified several of the 19 people killed in Rawalakot, central Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), where security forces had allegedly opened fire on protesters. The contrast was stark: while the prime minister publicly responded to a humanitarian tragedy abroad, there was no acknowledgement of the bloodshed unfolding in a territory under Pakistan’s own administration and control.