Thousands of protesters have kept Rawalakot at the centre of a widening confrontation in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, extending a week of demonstrations against the Pakistani government, security forces and the territory’s political order.
Crowds gathered again in the Poonch district city as the agitation moved beyond an immediate dispute over assembly seats to include demands for economic relief, local political rights and an end to what demonstrators describe as control by Islamabad over their resources and institutions. Women, students, traders and elderly residents joined rallies that continued despite arrests, communications curbs and a heavy security deployment.
The unrest has become the most serious challenge in months to the administration of the territory that Pakistan calls Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Rawalakot has seen the fiercest clashes, while shutdowns and protests have affected Muzaffarabad, Mirpur, Kotli and Bhimber. Markets have closed, public transport has been disrupted and roadblocks have appeared on routes linking major towns.
The flashpoint was a campaign by the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee, a civil society alliance pressing for the abolition of 12 legislative seats reserved for refugees from Jammu and Kashmir who settled elsewhere in Pakistan after 1947. Protest leaders argue that candidates for those seats do not live in the territory and that the arrangement allows Pakistan-based parties to shape government formation in Muzaffarabad.
The territory’s top court held that the seats are constitutionally protected and cannot be removed by executive action. The ruling came days before elections scheduled for July 27 to a 45-member legislature, sharpening a dispute that had already stalled talks between protest representatives, regional authorities and federal negotiators.
Violence escalated after the regional government declared the JAAC a proscribed organisation on June 5 under anti-terrorism legislation. Police detained scores of activists and sealed offices linked to the movement. Internet and mobile data services were suspended in several areas, while visitors were advised to leave or defer travel as paramilitary units were deployed.
The deadliest confrontation occurred in Rawalakot, where clashes between demonstrators and security personnel killed at least seven people, with other tallies putting the toll at 11. Dozens were injured. Police said four law-enforcement personnel were among the dead and accused armed protesters of opening fire. Protesters accused security forces of excessive force and said the crackdown had turned a political dispute into a broader rights movement.
Authorities have announced sedition proceedings against prominent JAAC leaders and offered Rs10 million for information leading to the arrest of four wanted figures, including Shaukat Nawaz Mir. The administration says the group has incited violence and threatened public order. JAAC representatives have rejected terrorism allegations, saying the movement is rooted in grievances over prices, power tariffs, wheat subsidies, jobs and representation.
The protests build on earlier mobilisation across the territory over electricity bills, flour prices and public spending. A 38-point charter negotiated after earlier strikes produced partial concessions, but politically sensitive demands remained unresolved. Activists say the failure to implement commitments has deepened mistrust, particularly among traders and young people central to the campaign.
The demonstrations have exposed a governance dilemma for Pakistan ahead of the July vote. None of the main parties in Islamabad has endorsed abolishing the reserved seats, partly because the constituencies carry symbolic weight in the wider Kashmir dispute. For many residents, however, the issue has become a test of whether local consent can override decisions shaped outside the territory.
Rights groups have criticised anti-terror laws, communications shutdowns and mass arrests, warning that treating a civic movement as a security threat risks further escalation. Opposition parties in Pakistan have urged talks, arguing that political grievances cannot be settled through police action.
Islamabad has pushed back against external criticism, insisting that the territory’s constitutional system must be respected and accusing hostile forces of exploiting the protests. The regional prime minister has said talks are possible but not on issues protected by law, leaving little room for compromise on the central demand.
Rawalakot remained tense as protest committees sought to sustain mobilisation through rallies, funeral gatherings and shutdown calls. Security checkpoints stayed in place on key roads, and residents reported shortages after days of disrupted transport. With elections approaching and protest leaders under threat of arrest, the confrontation is turning on whether authorities can reopen negotiations without appearing to concede to street pressure.
