1 Killed, Over 600 Detained as Pakistan Intensifies Crackdown on PoJK Protests

Rawalakot, July 6: At least one person was killed and more than 600 activists were reportedly detained as protests intensified across Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) on Monday following a massive crackdown on demonstrations organised by the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC).

The protests were held to demand the release of JAAC leaders and activists arrested in recent weeks, including committee chief Shaukat Nawaz Mir. Activists alleged that Pakistani security forces opened fire and used shelling to disperse demonstrators, leaving several others injured.

According to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) unit in PoJK, demonstrations continued across the region in support of basic rights and in solidarity with an ongoing sit-in in Rawalakot. The party claimed one protester was killed and several others wounded after police and Pakistan Rangers used force against peaceful demonstrators in Amb village of Mirpur district.

The JAAC said thousands of people, including women, children and elderly residents, gathered at Sardar Ghulam Hussain Khan Sports Stadium in Abbaspor before proceeding towards the protest site in Rawalakot. It alleged that security forces resorted to live fire and shelling to disperse the crowd, critically injuring several protesters.

Despite the crackdown, protest caravans continued to reach Rawalakot, while demonstrations were also reported from several other areas of PoJK. The committee said members of the Kashmiri diaspora also staged protests in Auckland, New Zealand, demanding the release of detained activists.

The unrest comes amid escalating tensions between the JAAC and Pakistani authorities. The committee recently accused Islamabad of blocking an opposition delegation from entering PoJK and alleged that drones were being used to monitor protest sites. It has also called for a boycott of the July 27 regional elections.

PoJK activist Amjad Ayub Mirza claimed that more than 600 JAAC members and supporters had been arrested since the detention of Shaukat Nawaz Mir, alleging that the situation in the region was deteriorating rapidly.

Meanwhile, Amnesty International criticised Pakistan’s response to the protests, accusing the authorities of using excessive measures to suppress peaceful political dissent. The rights organisation also questioned the decision to declare the JAAC a proscribed organisation, calling it a disproportionate restriction on the rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of association. (Agencies)