Pakistan’s restive borders result from its crackdowns: Territories or violent counter-insurgency

Pakistan's restive borders result from its crackdowns on dissent, leading to erosion in peripheries like Balochistan, FATA, and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

In PoK, protests erupted in June around Rawlakot, led by Sardar Aman Khan, with demands including opening trade routes to India; security forces killed nine people on July 14.

Balochistan remains the most tense border province from Islamabad's perspective, with insurgency intermittent since 1948.

In Gilgit-Baltistan, unrest since April includes protests for constitutional rights and demands for a constituent assembly, free electricity from Diamer-Bhasha Dam, and 80% royalty.