The video clips have been combined together from different places in Pakistan administered Kashmir of protests and demonstrations taking place in different cities.
MUZAFFARABAD: Pakistan-administered Kashmir (Azad Jammu & Kashmir) remained under a communications blackout for the third consecutive day as security forces launched a violent crackdown on pro-rights demonstrators, killing at least four people and injuring dozens more, according to activists and journalists, who managed to transmit reports despite severe restrictions.
The latest verified inputs about the casualties in Pakistan administered Kashmir during protest demonstrations and police firing have risen to six. Three civilians lost their lives in Muzaffarabad, two in Dhirkot and one in Dadyal (Not Verified as yet). Three police officials were also killed in clashes in Dhirkot.
According to sources, Raja Amjad Ali Khan Advocate, a member of thecore committee of the Jammu & Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), was detained at Islamabad Airport this morning following his return from the United Kingdom.
Shortly before his return to Pakistan, Amjad Ali Khan spoke to academic Dr Serena Hussain in an exclusive interview for the Kashmir Times.
The region has been paralysed since September 29 by a strike called by the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC) over unfulfilled demands for constitutional reforms. What began as a peaceful protest has escalated into deadly violence, with an estimated 2,000 to 10,000 Pakistani Rangers deployed to suppress demonstrations.
Mobile internet, cellular services, and landline networks have remained suspended since Sunday noon, with sources indicating the blackout could continue through Wednesday. Movement between Pakistan-administered Kashmir (PAK) and mainland Pakistan has been severely restricted, and journalists attempting to report on the situation face surveillance and intimidation.
Journalists, who provided inputs, did so on condition of anonymity.
The first casualty occurred on September 29 when a 30-year-old crockery shop owner, Mohammad Sudheer, was shot dead during clashes at Neelum Bridge between JKJAAC demonstrators and a rival "peace rally" led by Muslim Conference leader Raja Saqib Majeed.
Witnesses claimed that participants in the peace rally fired upon peaceful JKJAAC demonstrators "without any provocation". According to the Dawn newspaper report, an eyewitness stated that "the peace rally was protected by police and paramilitary troops," and that "police lobbed tear-gas shells on JAAC demonstrators and fired at them".
The Express Tribune reported that "the incident, captured in viral social media footage, clearly shows the persons shooting at the crowd". Four protesters were initially injured in the incident, with Sudheer later succumbing to his wounds in the hospital.
Fresh violence erupted on October 1 as security forces launched coordinated operations in three locations: Muzaffarabad, Dhirkot, and Dadyal. According to inputs received from journalists operating under extreme duress, heavy firing and shelling have been reported, with JKJAAC claiming that three additional activists were shot dead in the crackdown.
Another journalist, who requested anonymity for safety reasons, managed to reach an area with signal coverage after travelling for hours from Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
In a message sent with "great difficulty," the journalist reported: "Internet and call service in AJK is completely off for three days and people are on roads for strike all over AJK. People are being forced to silence by cutting off with the world. Journalists are chased and not allowed to inform outer world."
The journalist added: "Situation is much worse... but I managed to sneak out despite being surveilled."
Despite the communications blackout and heavy security presence, protests have continued across Pakistan-administered Kashmir. In Muzaffarabad, rallies with sloganeering proceeded even amid the shelling. Young leaders were seen raising slogans with crowds echoing them while waving the region's yellow and green flags.
Protesters chanted: "These resources are ours, these rivers and waters are ours, electricity is ours. Who will protect them – we will. Who will rule this land – we will."
On the evening of September 29, nearly 5,000 people gathered at Muzaffarabad's Neelum Chowk, where JKJAAC leader Shaukat Nawaz Mir delivered a fiery 17-minute speech.
Mir condemned the firing, accused authorities of trying to stage "another May 9" through their "touts," and insisted JKJAAC harboured no hostility toward state institutions or the Pakistan Army.
In May 2024, three protestors and a police officer were killed and several others wounded in days of clashes between demonstrators lead by JAAC while demanding subsidies on wheat flour and electricity and opposing special perks to ministers and bureaucrats.
The present protests centre on JKJAAC's charter of demands, which includes the abolition of elite privileges and seats reserved for Pakistan-based refugees from Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
According to the Express Tribune, Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs Ameer Muqam acknowledged that talks failed because "demands related to reforms of 12 Pakistan-based AJK assembly seats and privileges for officials required constitutional amendments".
A journalist revealed that recent attempts at dialogue have fizzled. When the government offered to engage in talks, JKJAAC raised the precondition of ending the communications blockade first, which was denied by authorities. The crackdown in the three locations began soon after this impasse.
As the crisis deepens, the elected government of Pakistan-administered Kashmir has been conspicuously absent from the scene since dialogue efforts collapsed. Significantly, even the offer for negotiations came not from elected representatives but from the Chief Secretary - an Islamabad appointee - underscoring the limited autonomy of the regional administration.
Since the violence erupted, no representatives of the elected government have been visible or heard from. Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq, who leads the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government in the region, has remained silent. Similarly, senior ministers and other key government officials have made no public statements addressing the bloodshed, the communications blackout, or the deployment of thousands of Pakistani Rangers to suppress the protests.
This silence has been noted with growing concern by observers and residents alike. The absence of the elected leadership during a crisis that has claimed at least four lives, left dozens injured, and seen the region cut off from the world for three consecutive days, raises fundamental questions about where power actually resides in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
The fact that it is federal authorities and security forces, rather than the regional government, managing the crackdown suggests that Islamabad, not Muzaffarabad, is calling the shots, even as local representatives elected to serve the people remain invisible in their hour of greatest need.
The strike brought major districts including Muzaffarabad, Mirpur, Poonch, Neelum, Bhimber and Palandari to a complete halt, with all businesses and shops shuttered, street vendors absent, and roads deserted. There was no visible movement of the people on the roads and thin presence of vehicles.
Reports indicate that demonstrations also occurred in Rawalakot and Sudhnoti. International solidarity protests were held in London and Bradford, where diaspora leaders addressed the Pakistani consulate, stating: "We have no quarrel with any institution or the Army. Branding protesters as traitors only serves Pakistan's enemies."
Government Response
The Pakistan-administered Kashmir government has yet to issue an official statement on the crackdown. Law enforcement agencies said they had begun legal action against those involved in vandalism and rioting, with security officials vowing "strict legal action against anyone damaging public property or inciting unrest".
However, with journalists unable to operate freely and all communications severed, independent verification of events remains impossible. The scale of casualties and the full extent of the security operations remain unclear as the region enters its third day of isolation from the outside world.
JKJAAC has maintained that its movement is peaceful, with baton-wielding protesters symbolising their non-violent approach. The committee has called for further demonstrations and vowed to continue protests until their demands are met.
Demands of the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC):
1. Privileges of the ruling elite
End all special privileges of the ruling elite across the legislature, executive, and judiciary. Post-retirement benefits should be limited to pensions, with all free facilities withdrawn.
Restrict government officials to vehicles of up to 1300 cc capacity.
2. Abolish reserved seats
Abolish assembly seats reserved in the name of refugees settled in Pakistan.
3. Healthcare
Provide free medical care for the people of Pakistan-administered Jammu and Kashmir.
4. Education
Guarantee free and uniform education for all.
5. International airport
Establish an international airport in the region.
6. Quota system
Abolish the quota system in Pakistan-administered Jammu and Kashmir.
7. Commercial bills
Enforce the notifications related to commercial billing.
8. Electricity agreements
Implement all agreements concerning electricity.
9. Flour distribution
Maintain flour quality and ensure allocations and agreements are honoured.
10. Garbage treatment plants
Build garbage treatment plants in all districts.
11. Cases against protestors
Withdraw all cases filed by the state against citizens during the movement.
12. Hydropower projects
Implement the High Court’s decision regarding hydropower agreements with the Government of Pakistan.
13. Banking
Grant the Pakistan-administered Jammu and Kashmir Bank the status of a scheduled bank.
14. Mobile companies
End exploitative practices by mobile service providers.
15. Infrastructure
Construct the road from Azad Pattan to Soun.
16. Compensation for victims’ families
Provide government employment to the brother of Azhar, who was killed during the movement.
17. Forests
Protect forests and take steps to curb timber smuggling.
18. Clean water
Ensure access to safe drinking water.
19. Repeal of Act 2021
Abolish Act 2021.
20. Expressway
Build an expressway connecting all parts of Pakistan-administered Jammu and Kashmir.
21. Shounter Tunnel
Construct the Shounter Tunnel to connect Pakistan-administered Jammu and Kashmir with Gilgit-Baltistan.
22. Lohar Gali Tunnel
Construct a tunnel from Lohar Gali to Muzaffarabad.
23. Leepa and Bhidi tunnels
Build tunnels to connect the Leepa Valley and Bhidi.
24. End corruption and favouritism
Eliminate bribery and the culture of personal recommendations in government departments.
25. Agriculture and livestock reforms
Introduce reforms in the agriculture and livestock sectors.
26. Employment
Provide job opportunities or unemployment allowances.
27. Non-custom paid vehicles
Relax laws concerning the use of non-custom paid vehicles.
28. Taxes
Reduce property transfer taxes and offer tax exemptions.
29. Disabled persons’ quota
Allocate employment quotas for persons with disabilities.
30. Judicial reforms
Bring reforms in the judiciary.
31. Local governance and student unions
Restore the powers of local government representatives and revive student unions.
32. Development budget
Ensure the development budget is not allowed to lapse.
33. Deployment of external forces
Abolish laws related to the deployment of external forces.
34. Bridges
Construct the Rehman Bridge and Gulpur Bridge.
35. Appointments
Make all ad-hoc appointments through the Public Service Commission.
36. Business community
Provide protection and facilities to traders.
37. Local committees
Accept the demands of local-level action committees and district and tehsil levels.
(This is a developing news story and has been updated with fresh inputs. It will be updated when more inputs are received)
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