Global human rights organisations have sharply criticised Pakistan’s authorities after deadly clashes in Rawalakot in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir left at least 11 people dead, more than 70 injured and triggered a sweeping security clampdown ahead of a region-wide protest by the Joint Awami Action Committee.
The confrontation has deepened unrest across the territory, where shutdowns, arrests, internet restrictions and paramilitary deployments have followed protests over political representation, economic hardship and the regional government’s decision to outlaw the JAAC under anti-terror legislation. Rights groups have called the move a dangerous escalation, warning that branding a civil society-led protest movement as a terrorist organisation risks criminalising peaceful assembly and stifling dissent before elections scheduled for July 27.
The flashpoint came in Rawalakot, the capital of Poonch district, after supporters gathered amid anger over the killing of JAAC activist Shahzeb Habib. Police have confirmed that protesters and security personnel were among those killed when clashes erupted outside the Combined Military Hospital, where Habib’s body had been taken for a post-mortem. Officials have put the toll at eight protesters and four police officers in one account, while other official figures cited 11 deaths and more than 70 injuries, including security personnel and demonstrators.
Amnesty International said the crackdown, involving an internet shutdown, mass arrests and deadly use of force, reflected an alarming deterioration of human rights in the region. It said the proscription of the JAAC was disproportionate and unlawful, and called for an independent inquiry into Habib’s death, the killings of protesters in Rawalakot and the reported deaths of police officers. The organisation urged authorities to de-escalate tensions, use force only as a last resort and lift restrictions that interfere with peaceful assembly and association.
The International Human Rights Foundation also raised concern over the use of force against protesters, adding to wider criticism from rights advocates and Kashmiri diaspora groups abroad. Demonstrations outside Pakistan’s diplomatic missions in Britain have drawn attention to the blackout, arrests and casualty figures, while some British lawmakers of Kashmiri origin have called for scrutiny of the official response.
The JAAC, a grassroots alliance of traders, activists and civil society groups, emerged in 2023 around demands linked to subsidised wheat, electricity tariffs, governance reforms and greater local control over resources. Its agitation has since expanded into a wider political campaign challenging the 12 legislative seats reserved for refugees from Kashmir administered by New Delhi who live elsewhere in Pakistan. The JAAC argues that those seats allow non-residents to influence the formation of the regional government.
The regional legislature has 45 seats, including the 12 reserved seats. The issue has gained urgency before the July 27 polls after the Supreme Court of Azad Jammu and Kashmir upheld the constitutional protection given to the seats, effectively blocking their abolition without a constitutional amendment. Talks between government representatives and JAAC leaders broke down in late May, after which the committee pressed ahead with plans for a region-wide strike and march.
Authorities responded by banning the group on June 5 under the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Anti-Terrorism Act, suspending internet and mobile services, advising tourists and outsiders to leave the territory, and deploying additional forces. More than 100 JAAC-linked activists were detained over June 6 and 7, and the group’s central office in Muzaffarabad was sealed. Sedition cases have been ordered against senior JAAC figures, including Shaukat Nawaz Mir and Mehran Arshad Khawaja, with authorities offering a reward of 10 million Pakistani rupees for information leading to the arrest of four leaders.
The security response paralysed major towns, with Muzaffarabad, Mirpur and other centres observing a shutdown after the JAAC’s strike call. Markets remained closed, transport thinned out and police vehicles were visible across deserted streets. Residents have described the protest movement as a campaign for rights rather than an anti-state mobilisation, while officials have accused the JAAC leadership of provoking unrest and misleading the public.
The regional administration, led by Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore, has said it remains open to dialogue on issues within its authority but will not negotiate on constitutionally protected matters such as the reserved seats. Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has said many of the JAAC’s earlier demands had already been implemented, though unresolved disputes over representation and powers continue to fuel mobilisation.
