Feb. 5, 2025: On Kashmir Solidarity Day, a “Kashmir Solidarity and Al-Aqsa Storm Conference” takes place in Rawalakot. Media and social media have no access. Only a few photographs and short video clips surface later.
On the same day, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Gen. Asim Munir visit Muzaffarabad and address gatherings. Then Prime Minister of PaJK, Anwar ul Haq, says in his speech that reviving jihad is the need of the hour. This portion is censored on Pakistan’s national media.
Feb. 11: Pro-independence parties jointly mark the death anniversary of Maqbool Butt.
April 22: The Pahalgam incident takes place. Soon after, the Indus Waters Treaty is suspended.
May 7: India carries out airstrikes. Heavy and indiscriminate firing continues along the Line of Control.
May 7–10: Firing persists along the Line of Control. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations, 40 civilians are killed during this period.
May 10: A ceasefire comes into effect in the evening.
May 24: A rally of the Awami Action Committee is held in Muzaffarabad. Its charter of demands is expanded to include the demand to abolish refugee seats in the Pakistan-administered Jammu and Kashmir Assembly.
May 27: In Rawalakot, four militants, including Zarnosh and his associates, and two police personnel are killed in a police encounter.
June–August: No major public political developments are officially reported.
Sept. 16: Parliamentary parties in Pakistan-administered Jammu and Kashmir hold a joint press conference. They claim an Indian “cipher” is being used to destabilize the region. The document is earlier displayed by former prime minister Raja Farooq Haider.
Sept. 17: Political parties announce plans to hold rallies in Rawalakot and Bagh.
Sept. 21: Parliamentary political parties hold a rally in Rawalakot. The sitting prime minister, former prime ministers, and the heads of four political parties address the gathering.
Sept. 23: After the rally fails to gain momentum, the government of Pakistan directs a two-member delegation to Muzaffarabad to hold talks with the Awami Action Committee. Around the same time, notifications surface about the deployment of 2,000 security personnel, including Islamabad police, to Pakistan-administered Jammu and Kashmir.
Sept. 24–25: Negotiations begin on the evening of Sept. 24 and continue until the morning of Sept. 25. Talks remain inconclusive.
Sept. 25: After the failure of negotiations, Pakistan’s security forces begin moving into different areas of Pakistan-administered Jammu and Kashmir.
Sept. 26: The local government issues orders barring mosque loudspeakers from making “unnecessary announcements,” citing concerns that messages from the Awami Action Committee could be broadcast after internet restrictions.
On the same day, reports begin to emerge of social media shutdowns across the region.
Sept. 27: The Muslim Conference announces a peace march in Muzaffarabad on Sept. 29.
Sept. 28: A communications blackout is imposed across Pakistan-administered Jammu and Kashmir. Mobile phone networks and all forms of internet services are suspended.
Sept. 29: Awami Action Committee processions take place and protests begin. During the day, gunfire erupts at an Awami Action Committee rally from a Muslim Conference procession in Muzaffarabad. One person is killed, and several others are injured. A case is registered against the Muslim Conference leader and Sardar Atiq Ahmed Khan’s son-in-law, Saqib Majeed.
Clashes between police and Awami Action Committee supporters are also reported from different locations.
In Islamabad, police baton-charge protesters from the Kashmir community. Kashmiri journalists are assaulted inside the National Press Club.
Sept. 30: Protests by the Awami Action Committee spread further. All routes linking Pakistan with Pakistan-administered Jammu and Kashmir are blocked.
On the same day, three ministers of the Pakistan-administered Jammu and Kashmir government invite the Awami Action Committee to talks through video messages. The offer is rejected.
Oct. 1: Awami Action Committee leader Advocate Amjad Ali Khan is detained at Islamabad airport upon his return from the United Kingdom. He is released after a few hours.
On the same day, reports emerge of nine deaths, including three police personnel, in clashes at different locations. That evening, the prime minister of Pakistan-administered Jammu and Kashmir and a federal minister again invite the Awami Action Committee for negotiations.
Oct. 2: Formal negotiations begin.
Oct. 2–4: Talks continue over two days.
Oct. 4: Negotiations succeed. An agreement is reached between the Awami Action Committee, the government of Pakistan, and the government of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
During this period, disinformation about the movement circulates widely in Pakistani media.
Nov. 17: A no-confidence motion against the prime minister is passed. Faisal Mumtaz Rathore becomes the new prime minister.
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