4 of Family Killed in PaJK as Unrest Continues

MUZAFFARABAD: The killing of four members of a family, including two children, in a mysterious explosion in Bagh district has further inflamed tensions across Pakistan-administered Jammu and Kashmir (PaJK).

The explosion on Thursday evening destroyed part of a residential house in Dhakki Pindi, also known locally as Pindi Topi, in Bagh district. The dead included an elderly woman, her daughter-in-law and two grandchildren. A teenage girl survived with injuries.

JAAC leaders have accused security forces of attacking the house, alleging that the explosion was caused by a grenade or a drone strike. Police, however, have referred to accounts suggesting a domestic gas-cylinder explosion, while acknowledging that the exact cause remains undetermined.

The incident comes amid reports of heavy firing, security operations and communication disruptions in parts of Bagh and neighbouring Poonch district.

According to local accounts, the explosion occurred between 7.00 PM and 8.00 PM at the residence of a man identified in different reports as Shakdar or Shafqat.

Those killed were his mother, aged approximately 80, his wife Shazia, 40, his son Haris, 11, and his eight-year-old daughter Malaika.

His surviving daughter, identified as Aniqa or Aneeka, was taken to District Headquarters Hospital in Bagh. Arrangements were reportedly made to transfer her to Muzaffarabad for further medical examination.

JAAC core member Abid Shaheen alleged that security personnel deliberately targeted the residence. He said communication networks had been disrupted, making it difficult for activists and residents to establish the circumstances of the explosion.

Shaheen linked the incident to earlier confrontations between local women and security personnel. He also alleged that the surviving daughter had previously suffered injuries during shelling at a protest.

Another JAAC leader, Sardar Umar Nazir Kashmiri, described the incident as an attempt to terrorise residents and weaken the protest movement.

He alleged that a grenade was used against a civilian house in an area where security personnel had been deployed.

The district administration disputed claims circulating on social media and cautioned against drawing conclusions before an investigation.

Police confirmed four deaths and injuries to a teenage girl. They said some neighbours believed a gas cylinder had exploded, but the precise cause had not been established.

Deputy Commissioner Mumtaz Kazmi was also quoted as referring to the possibility of a grenade explosion. The district administration subsequently rejected social media posts attributing definitive conclusions to him.

Former Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider expressed condolences to the bereaved family and described the loss of civilian lives as deeply distressing.

No independent forensic findings establishing the cause of the explosion had emerged by Friday.

The deaths have intensified anger in an area already witnessing confrontations between residents and security personnel.

A video of the funeral of the four of a family was shared on X by @Ajk_Updates_

Security Deployments

Local residents and travellers reported increased security deployments across parts of Bagh and Poonch districts on Thursday and Friday.

Security checkpoints were reported near Azad Pattan Bridge and Tain-Dhalkot Bridge, two important routes connecting the territory with Pakistan.

Travellers said personnel identified as Rangers were stopping vehicles, checking passengers and allowing movement after inspection.

JAAC representatives alleged that security personnel had occupied strategic entry points and established positions near residential settlements.

They also claimed that heavy weapons had been deployed in some areas.

Videos circulating on social media purported to show firing, explosions and security movements around Pindi, Topi Chhatra and Kopra. The precise locations and timing of all the footage could not be independently verified.

Residents also reported communication difficulties, preventing families from contacting relatives in affected villages.

The security deployments followed announcements concerning a possible protest march towards Muzaffarabad.

Meanwhile, Rawalakot, the principal town of Poonch district, remained tense following fresh incidents of firing, allegations of abduction and a continuing public transport shutdown.

On October 28, district police accused armed individuals associated with the banned JAAC of opening fire in civilian areas between noon and 5 p.m.

Police said Constable Makhdoom Ishaq and a civilian were injured and taken to the Combined Military Hospital in Rawalakot.

They also alleged that gunfire damaged parts of a government hospital and struck an ambulance.

JAAC representatives separately reported that a person was seriously injured in firing near Umar Farooq Chowk.

The identity of those responsible for the firing remains disputed.

In another development, Rawalakot police alleged that Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Akram was abducted while travelling along the Rawalakot-Palandri road.

Police claimed that armed individuals associated with JAAC intercepted his vehicle while he was accompanied by his driver and security guard.

On Thursday, police announced that the judge had been recovered during an overnight operation.

Transport Strike Hits Residents

The confrontation has also disrupted public transport in Rawalakot, increasing the financial burden on ordinary residents.

JAAC core member and Transport Workers Union president Sardar Sajjad Khan announced that transport operators would continue their strike until their demands were accepted.

The shutdown remains concentrated in Rawalakot, while public transport services continue in other districts.

Passengers travelling between Rawalpindi and Rawalakot have been particularly affected.

Ordinary public transport reportedly costs up to 1,000 Pakistani rupees per passenger. During the shutdown, private operators have been charging between 2,500 and 3,000 rupees.

Students, patients, daily wage workers and traders have been among the worst affected.

Local reports also indicate shortages and rising prices of wheat, vegetables, fruit and other essential commodities in parts of Bagh and Muzaffarabad.

Despite the government's decision to ban JAAC, the continuing transport shutdown indicates that the movement retains considerable organisational influence.

More on Anti-Terror Watchlist

In a further escalation, authorities have reportedly placed another 31 individuals on Schedule Four under Pakistan's anti-terrorism framework over their alleged association with JAAC.

According to documents described by local reporters, 19 of those listed belong to Poonch district, six to Muzaffarabad, three to Neelum, two to Bagh and one to Bhimber.

Schedule Four, maintained under Pakistan's Anti-Terrorism Act, allows authorities to impose monitoring and specified restrictions on individuals included in the list.

It remains unclear whether the newly listed individuals face specific criminal charges or have been formally notified of the action.

The reported expansion of the watchlist has raised concerns about the use of anti-terrorism provisions against political activists and participants in the protest movement.

JAAC has been spearheading a prolonged agitation over economic grievances, political representation, government privileges and administrative accountability.

The movement, which initially mobilised around the cost of living and public services, has increasingly become a broader confrontation over political rights and the relationship between the territory and Islamabad.

The deepening crisis has also drawn a warning from one of Pakistan's most prominent religious and political leaders.

Addressing the National Assembly on October 28, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman warned that continued neglect of public grievances in Pakistan-administered Jammu and Kashmir could alienate its population from Pakistan.

Referring to the prolonged sit-ins and public protests, Rehman expressed concern that the authorities were failing to address the growing dissatisfaction.

He particularly warned about the consequences for younger generations, suggesting that continued disregard of their grievances could weaken their attachment to Pakistan.

His remarks marked a significant intervention by a senior Pakistani political leader in a crisis that has largely been treated by Islamabad as a matter of local administration and public order.

Rehman also criticised policies that divide society along religious, political, national and linguistic lines. He called for a new Charter of Democracy between the government and opposition.

His wider criticism of government policies prompted sharp responses from Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Thursday.

The warning comes amid growing concern that the prolonged confrontation could transform a movement for economic and administrative reforms into a wider political challenge to Islamabad's authority.

Gillani Rejects Constitutional Change Reports

Amid the continuing unrest, Prime Minister Barrister Syed Iftikhar Ali Gillani has rejected reports suggesting that the constitutional status of Pakistan-administered Jammu and Kashmir is about to be changed.

In a statement on Thursday, Gillani described the reports as fabricated and contrary to the facts.

He said any constitutional amendment would be brought before the Legislative Assembly through established legal and parliamentary procedures.

Referring to the territory's 13th, 14th and 15th constitutional amendments, he maintained that the government remained committed to protecting its constitutional interests.

The controversy has acquired particular sensitivity because Pakistan-administered Jammu and Kashmir is governed under the Interim Constitution of 1974 and is not formally a province of Pakistan.

Its distinct constitutional arrangement is linked to the unresolved Jammu and Kashmir dispute.

No verified draft amendment proposing a change in the territory's constitutional status has emerged.

The Legislative Assembly has been summoned to meet on November 4 following a request from the opposition.

The agenda of the session had not been announced by Friday.

It remains uncertain whether legislators will discuss the Bagh explosion, continuing security operations, the JAAC agitation or speculation about constitutional changes.

Meanwhile, the government has continued announcing administrative initiatives, including the proposed AJK One digital portal, intended to provide online public services, recruitment information and complaint registration facilities.

Gillani chaired a high-level meeting on the project Thursday, attended by senior ministers, police officials and representatives associated with the Punjab Information Technology Board.

However, these administrative initiatives have done little to ease the immediate confrontation over arrests, security deployments, economic grievances and political representation.

With four members of one family dead in Bagh, Rawalakot facing continuing disruption and more political activists reportedly placed under anti-terrorism restrictions, the territory remains on edge.

The November 4 Assembly session could provide an opportunity for political intervention. But much will depend on whether the authorities address the disputed Bagh deaths, security operations and the grievances sustaining the protest movement.

For now, the absence of an agreed account of the Bagh explosion, coupled with continued security deployments and political mistrust, threatens to deepen an already serious crisis.