At least 11 individuals, including four security personnel, lost their lives amid intense clashes in Azad Jammu and Kashmir between police forces and supporters of the recently banned Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC).
The AJK police chief announced that a late-night operation successfully cleared protesters who had besieged a military hospital in Rawalakot. This unrest erupted ahead of a significant protest rally scheduled for June 9, as tensions escalated following the AJK government’s official proscription of JKJAAC, accusing the group of terrorism and activities undermining peace and security.
Poonch Commissioner Sardar Waheed Khan confirmed that seven civilians died during the clashes on Sunday. Meanwhile, AJK Police Inspector General Liaqat Ali Malik reported that four law enforcement officers—three local police and one Frontier Constabulary paramilitary member—were killed by gunfire from violent elements since June 6. Additionally, 23 police personnel sustained injuries, and 30 protesters were detained late Sunday.
Authorities stated that armed and violent individuals affiliated with the banned JKJAAC orchestrated a series of attacks targeting law enforcement, setting fires, and damaging both public and private property across multiple locations. The situation escalated when demonstrators surrounded the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Rawalakot, severely disrupting medical services and patient care.
Law enforcement agencies conducted a highly organized and restrained operation to lift the siege on CMH Rawalakot, successfully dispersing the rioters and restoring order. Three civilian deaths occurred between June 5 and June 6, reportedly caused by indiscriminate firing from the rioters themselves.
The unrest was initially sparked by the death of a local trader who was allegedly shot during a confrontation with law enforcement on Friday night. Supporters of JKJAAC and the trader’s family brought the body to the CMH mortuary for a post-mortem and staged a sit-in outside the hospital. Tensions escalated on Sunday when riot police attempted to disperse the crowd, leading to stone-pelting by demonstrators and police responding with baton charges and tear gas.
The broader political crisis involves longstanding grievances raised by JKJAAC, which demands the elimination of 12 refugee seats in the 53-member AJK Legislative Assembly. These seats are reserved for refugees from Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir who settled in Pakistan after the 1947 partition. JKJAAC alleges that mainstream Pakistani political parties manipulate these seats to influence government formation in Muzaffarabad.
Following the ban on JKJAAC last Friday, authorities launched a comprehensive crackdown, arresting numerous activists and sealing the group’s headquarters in Muzaffarabad. To support the local police, the federal government deployed paramilitary forces to AJK.
By Monday, the situation in Rawalakot had stabilized somewhat, with main roads and highways reopened and bazaars and commercial centers operating normally. However, mobile data services remain suspended to prevent the spread of unrest, and a travel advisory urges visitors to postpone non-essential trips to Rawalakot until June 20.
Information flow from the region continues to be heavily restricted as authorities maintain the suspension of mobile data services to control the situation.
