AJK Police Says 3 JAAC Members Killed In Rawalakot Clash, Several Injured

Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) police said on Monday that three people linked to the newly banned Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) were killed during protests on Sunday, with additional injuries reported, according to a press release from AJK police.

The statement follows deadly clashes in AJK’s Rawalakot, where JAAC had staged a sit-in outside CMH Rawalakot hospital. AJK police claim that armed JAAC members opened fire on deployed law enforcers in a planned attack, leaving four people dead and around 20 injured. JAAC, however, disputes this account and claims that security forces used tear gas and fired grenades at the hospital.

According to the statement, law and order had been restored in Rawalakot following what it described as violent and armed actions by elements associated with the JAAC.

The AJK Police said armed persons tried to disturb the peace in the area on the evening of June 7 by launching a planned firing attack on policemen. The attackers later besieged CMH Rawalakot and severely disrupted hospital services and medical operations. Police said miscreants also set fire to several places and caused damage to both public and private property.

The press release added that law enforcement responded with “professionalism, restraint and accountability” and conducted a limited and targeted operation between the night of June 7 and 8 to clear the hospital siege. It said priority was given to the safety of patients, medical staff and civilians and that CMH Rawalakot was now fully cleared with medical services restored.

The police said that since June 6, four policemen have been killed in firing incidents, including three AJK Rawalakot police officials and a member of the Frontier Constabulary, while several others were injured. It further claimed that three people attached to the Action Committee were killed due to their own “indiscriminate firing”, with further injuries reported.

Read: Four policemen martyred, over 20 injured in Rawalakot firing: AJK Police

According to the statement, the situation has been brought under control, with roads reopened and markets operating normally throughout the area.

Police said those involved in violence have been dispersed and operations against armed elements are continuing. It added that legal proceedings are underway against those responsible for disturbing the peace and that the organizers of the unrest will be brought to justice.

The press release also confirmed that the funeral prayers of the slain personnel will be held with full official honours. The statement urged the public to avoid involvement in activities associated with the banned group, not to believe rumors and to rely only on official sources for information.

Meanwhile, according to a post by the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) on X aired late last night, Rawalakot “looked like Gaza”, with the group claiming that security forces fired during “a peaceful protest sit-in”.

JAAC claimed that seven people were killed and dozens were injured when street shelling was carried out in the dark after electricity was allegedly cut. It further claimed that the protesters were attacked during what it described as a peaceful demonstration.

The group acknowledged that local police personnel were among those injured in the incident. JAAC said the actions amounted to “state terrorism” and called on authorities to immediately withdraw security forces and implement what it called the people’s “legitimate and constitutional demands.” It warned that under no circumstances would protesters back down from their demands.

The region experienced one of its most turbulent periods last October, when protests led by JAAC broke out over demands for constitutional and government reforms. At least nine people, including three policemen, were killed during the unrest.

JAAC, which organized the protests and strike, had presented a comprehensive charter of demands, including an end to the privileges enjoyed by the ruling elite, the abolition of 12 assembly spaces reserved for refugees and the abolition of the quota system.

Two days after the violence, the government and JAAC reached an agreement covering 12 core points and 13 additional points. Under the agreement, both sides agreed to set up a high-level committee to look into the issue of refugee seats in the AJK Legislative Assembly.

The unrest also triggered political upheaval in the region. The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) subsequently moved a no-confidence motion against the then Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq, with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) participating in the effort. Haq, who had been elected in April 2023 with 48 votes, chose to face the vote rather than resign.

On 17 November, Raja Faisal Mumtaz Rathore secured 36 votes in the election and became the 16th Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

With elections now approaching and the refugee seat issue still unresolved, the AJK government convened an All Parties Conference (APC) in Muzaffarabad to build consensus. Almost all major parties participated – except PTI and JAAC, which boycotted it.

JAAC’s position is that the government had already rejected its written proposal submitted on May 30, so it would be futile to participate. It had proposed either to retain token refugee representation until the Kashmir dispute is permanently resolved, or to replace the 12 seats in the Assembly with 4 seats in the AJK Council – a body headed by the Prime Minister, which it argued would better preserve the political dimension of the Kashmir issue.

The APC rejected any change outside the constitutional and legislative framework, saying only the elected assembly could change refugee seating arrangements. The JAAC called the resolution “a page and a half of completely trivial lines” and accused participants of coming together to serve their own interests rather than those of the public.

JAAC called for a major protest on June 9 in Muzaffarabad, where caravans are converging from across the region.

Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudhry on Sunday rejected allegations that the agreement with JAAC had remained unimplemented, saying the government had fulfilled the vast majority of its obligations in AJK.

The minister warned against attempts to foment unrest in AJK and questioned whether such actions served the interests of Pakistan, AJK or the wider Kashmir cause. “The solution to these issues is not violence,” he said, adding, “The solution is dialogue. We cannot allow law and order to deteriorate or innocent lives to be lost.”