British National Killed in Pakistan-administered Kashmir Clashes

Mohammad Akhtar, 50, a resident of Peterborough, was killed on 9 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. 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.