Civil unrest is spreading from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Balochistan into other regions, including the Punjab province, according to former Indian Ambassador Sushil Kumar Singhal.
This expansion of instability suggests that the grievances driving the protests are not localized to disputed territories but are rooted in systemic national failures. The widening scope of the demonstrations threatens to destabilize the central government's control over its most populous provinces.
The current wave of instability intensified in June 2026. An ultimatum was issued to authorities in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) on June 23 [3]. By June 25, reports indicated that 70,000 people had joined a sit-in protest in PoK [2], while 58 people died during the unrest [2].
Protesters are reacting to severe shortages of food, medicine, and fuel [4]. These economic hardships, combined with opposition to regional government policies, have sparked widespread demonstrations and shutdowns [4]. In PoK, the situation deteriorated as trucks carrying essential goods remained stranded, further exacerbating the scarcity of supplies [2].
Singhal said the unrest is no longer confined to the traditionally volatile areas of PoK and Balochistan. He said the instability is now affecting Punjab, indicating a broader collapse of social order across different provinces [1].
The Pakistani government has contested some of these narratives. A spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs said that some claims regarding the unrest in PoK were fabricated [1]. However, other reports indicate that the unrest is actively widening across the country [2].
“Unrest is spreading beyond the traditionally volatile areas of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Balochistan”
The shift of protests from peripheral regions like Balochistan and PoK into the heartland of Punjab indicates a transition from regional ethnic or political grievances to a general national crisis. When instability reaches Punjab, the country's agricultural and political center, it typically signals a deeper failure of the state to provide basic necessities, increasing the risk of a broader systemic collapse.
