MUZAFFARABAD/ISLAMABAD — At least nine people, including three policemen, lost their lives on Wednesday as violent clashes gripped Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) during the third day of a crippling strike led by the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC). The protests, aimed at pressing wide-ranging reforms, have brought the region to a standstill and triggered mounting concerns over law and order.
According to officials, demonstrations turned violent in several districts, including Dhir Kot, where armed protesters opened fire on police. Three officers Constable Khurshid and Constable Jameel from Bagh, and Constable Tahir Rafi from Muzaffarabad were killed, while nine others sustained injuries. In total, authorities confirmed that 172 policemen and around 50 civilians have been wounded in the unrest, some critically.
Business centers and transport services across Muzaffarabad, Mirpur, Poonch, Neelum, Bhimber, and Palandri remain shuttered. Roads have been blocked, cutting off key routes linking AJK with Pakistan. Internet services have also been restricted in much of the region, deepening the communication blackout.
The JAAC, led by Shaukat Nawaz Mir, has outlined a broad set of demands, including the abolition of 12 legislative assembly seats reserved for refugees, elimination of the quota system, free and uniform education, improved healthcare facilities, judicial reforms, and the construction of an international airport. Officials say that while the federal and AJK governments had previously accepted nearly 90% of the committee’s demands during negotiations, talks broke down over a few unresolved issues, pushing the protests toward confrontation.
AJK Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq, speaking at a joint press conference with Federal Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, condemned the violence and appealed for calm. “Three of our police officials have been martyred and many more injured due to firing by violent demonstrators,” he said. “It is clear that outsiders have also joined these protests, which has escalated the crisis. I urge JAAC leaders to return to the table dialogue is the only way forward. Violence will not yield solutions, only more bloodshed.”
Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudhry added that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had tasked him and Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs Engr. Amir Muqam to hold direct talks with JAAC leaders in Muzaffarabad. He stressed that only two issues remained unsettled: the abolition of refugee seats in the assembly and a reduction in the number of ministers, both of which require constitutional amendments and cannot be enforced immediately.
Meanwhile, the government has urged the public to disregard “propaganda and fake news” circulating on social media, warning that such narratives were fueling unrest. Officials say efforts are underway to restore order but acknowledged that the atmosphere across AJK remains tense, with shuttered markets, deserted streets, and the specter of further violence hanging over towns already reeling from economic hardship.
Prime Minister Haq, expressing grief over the loss of lives, remarked: “Provoking civilians only leads to anarchy and needless tragedy. Taking one life is like taking all of humanity we must not allow this region to be dragged into more bloodshed.”
