Days after protesters in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK) appealed to people in India to express solidarity with their movement amid widespread demonstrations against Islamabad and a sweeping crackdown that reportedly led to the arrest of more than 600 civil rights activists, tensions escalated further on Sunday. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) POK unit alleged that one person was killed and several others were injured after Pakistan Rangers opened fire on protesters during fresh demonstrations demanding basic rights and the release of detained activists.
The latest incident comes as the protest movement led by the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) continues to gain momentum despite mass arrests, security restrictions, and allegations of excessive force by Pakistani authorities.
In a series of posts on X, PTI's POK unit said demonstrations were held across multiple parts of the region in support of the ongoing sit-in at Rawalakot and to press for what it described as basic constitutional and economic rights.
Protests Intensify Across POK
According to PTI's POK unit, hundreds of people, including women, participated in protests in Charhoi, while several protest caravans continued towards Rawalakot. The party later alleged that Pakistani police and Rangers used force against demonstrators in Amb village, located in Dadyal tehsil of Mirpur district.
PTI claimed that police and Rangers resorted to shelling and opened fire on peaceful protesters, resulting in one death and multiple injuries. These claims, however, could not be independently verified.
The Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee, which organised Sunday's demonstrations, also alleged that security forces opened fire and used shelling to disperse protesters.
According to the committee, thousands of people, including women, children, and elderly residents, gathered at Sardar Ghulam Hussain Khan Sports Stadium in Abbaspor before joining the wider protest movement. JAAC alleged that security personnel fired on demonstrators, leaving several people critically injured.
The committee further claimed that large protest convoys continued to arrive at the Rawalakot sit-in venue while similar demonstrations were held simultaneously in several towns across POK.
Aman Khan's Appeal for Support
The latest protests follow an appeal made earlier this week by JAAC leader Sardar Aman Khan, who urged people in Srinagar, Ladakh, Poonch, Rajouri, and Jammu to stand in solidarity with residents of POK.
In a video message, Khan alleged that Pakistani authorities had intensified their crackdown on protesters and had even disrupted food supplies.
He claimed that protesters had faced severe repression and shortages of essential supplies while appealing to people across Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh to support their movement.
Speaking at a large gathering in Rawalakot, Khan also accused Pakistan of hypocrisy in its approach towards Kashmir.
He alleged that the Pakistan Army had armed Kashmiris in the past and questioned how the same people were now being labelled as terrorists.
Addressing supporters, Khan also asserted that POK was not a part of Pakistan and claimed that Pakistan depended more on POK than the other way around.
International Rights Groups Raise Concerns
The ongoing unrest has also drawn criticism from international human rights organisations.
Amnesty International recently criticised Pakistan's decision to declare the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee a "proscribed organisation," describing the move as a disproportionate restriction on the rights to peaceful association and political participation.
The organisation also expressed concern over the use of heavy-handed measures against protesters ahead of the upcoming regional elections.
Why the Protests Began
The latest violence marks the culmination of several weeks of growing unrest across POK, where thousands of residents have been protesting for greater political, economic, and civil rights.
The movement is being spearheaded by the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee, an umbrella civil rights organisation campaigning on the basis of a 38-point Charter of Demands. Its key demands include economic reforms, equitable distribution of local resources, the withdrawal of what it describes as excessive paramilitary deployment, and greater political autonomy for the region.
The protests intensified after Pakistani authorities designated JAAC as a "proscribed organisation" under the Anti-Terrorism Act. According to protest leaders, the move triggered a large-scale crackdown, with more than 600 JAAC members and supporters reportedly detained following the arrest of the group's leader, Shaukat Nawaz Mir.
The movement has also accused authorities of imposing internet restrictions, carrying out mass arrests, deploying drones to monitor protest sites, and using force against demonstrators, all of which have further escalated tensions.
One of JAAC's principal demands is the abolition of the 12 seats reserved in the POK Legislative Assembly for refugees from Indian-administered Kashmir who migrated to mainland Pakistan following the 1947 Partition. While these seats were originally intended to provide representation to displaced communities, protest leaders argue that the arrangement enables Islamabad to influence the composition of the Assembly and the formation of regional governments, despite the representatives not residing in the territory.
The issue has become a central demand of the JAAC-led movement, which is also calling for a boycott of the local elections scheduled for July 27, arguing that the existing political framework does not genuinely reflect the aspirations of POK's residents.
