SRINAGAR: At least seven people, including four police personnel, were killed and dozens injured in violent clashes between law enforcement agencies and members of a banned protest group in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, global media reported, as tensions escalated ahead of a region-wide shutdown call.
The clashes erupted in Rawalakot, a major town in the Poonch district of PoK, where supporters of the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) had gathered despite restrictions imposed by the authorities.
Commissioner Sardar Waheed, the senior civilian administrator of Rawalakot, told reporters that three civilians were killed and around 40 others injured during the unrest. Police separately confirmed that four law enforcement personnel were killed while more than 20 others sustained injuries.
According to police statements, supporters of the banned JAAC allegedly attacked security personnel and targeted the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Rawalakot. Authorities accused protesters of using firearms, including shotguns, during the confrontation. Police described the incident as an “organized and armed terrorist activity” aimed at challenging the writ of the state and disrupting public order.
The JAAC, however, has rejected the accusations and termed the government’s decision to declare the organisation a “terror” group as “oppression.” The movement says it is campaigning for economic relief, governance reforms and political rights in the region.
Security measures were tightened across the region after the local administration formally banned the JAAC under anti-terrorism laws earlier this week. Police said the organisation’s central office in Muzaffarabad had been sealed and restrictions imposed on large public gatherings.
Authorities confirmed that more than 70 JAAC activists and supporters were arrested during a weekend crackdown.
Despite fears of widespread disruption, markets remained open in Muzaffarabad on Monday, though security personnel continued intensive patrols across the city. Residents had reportedly rushed to stock essential goods over the weekend amid fears of protests and lockdowns, reports appearing in the media said.
The JAAC has announced a region-wide shutdown on June 9, intensifying political tensions ahead of legislative elections in PoK scheduled for July 27.
A key issue fuelling the agitation is the demand for abolition of 12 seats reserved in the regional assembly for refugees from Jammu and Kashmir who migrated to Pakistan after 1947. The JAAC alleges that these seats enable Pakistan’s mainstream political parties to influence government formation in the region.
On Sunday, the PoK Supreme Court ruled that the reserved seats enjoy constitutional protection and can only be altered through a constitutional amendment, dealing a setback to the protest movement.
The region witnessed similar unrest in September 2025 when violent confrontations between protesters and police left nine people dead.
