SRINAGAR: Amnesty International has called on the Pakistani authorities to immediately restore internet and mobile communication services and launch an independent investigation into reports that security forces used lethal force against protesters in Rawalakot during the first day of elections in Pakistan-controlled Jammu and Kashmir.
Reacting to reports of violence, Isabelle Lassee, Acting Regional Director for South Asia at Amnesty International, said the allegations emerging from Rawalakot were consistent with what the organisation described as Pakistan’s long record of unlawful violence against protesters in the region.
“The disturbing reports emerging from Rawalakot are consistent with the Pakistani authorities’ long history of unlawful violence against protesters in Jammu and Kashmir,” Lassee said. She called for a “prompt, independent, and transparent investigation” into the security forces’ use of force.
Amnesty also criticised the continued suspension of internet and mobile services, arguing that the communications blackout was preventing independent verification of events on the ground.
“So long as an internet and mobile services blackout remains in place, it will severely impede the independent verification of the full extent of the situation on the ground,” Lassee said. She urged the Pakistani authorities to restore all communications access and allow media organisations and independent observers into the affected areas.
The human rights organisation also linked the current tensions to the Pakistani government’s decision to ban the Jammu and Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC). This protest movement was declared a “proscribed organisation” under the region’s Anti-Terrorism Act, 2014, on June 5, 2026.
Amnesty said it had repeatedly called on the authorities to revoke the ban, accusing them of using anti-terrorism legislation to suppress dissent and arbitrarily detain JAAC members and supporters.
“The ban cannot be used as an excuse to mete out deadly violence against protesters,” Lassee said.
According to Amnesty, reports of violence emerged on July 27 from Rawalakot and Kotli, where a political worker was also killed during clashes between supporters of rival political parties.
The JAAC has claimed that 19 people were killed and dozens injured after security forces opened fire on protesters in Rawalakot. While media organisations have reported casualties, they have not independently confirmed the death toll. Police, meanwhile, have stated that two of their personnel were injured during the unrest.
The rights group noted that mobile internet services have remained suspended across Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir since June 5.
Amnesty also pointed to mounting violence in the run-up to the regional elections, citing media reports that at least 40 people had been killed before polling day, including 34 protesters and six police and paramilitary personnel.
The organisation urged the Pakistani authorities to ensure accountability for any unlawful use of force and to guarantee unrestricted access for journalists and independent monitors so that the events surrounding the elections can be independently assessed.
