The ongoing anti-Pakistan protests in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) have crossed their 24th consecutive day, revealing deep-seated friction between local residents and the state establishment. During a massive public gathering in Rawalkot, Sardar Aman Khan, a prominent leader of the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), openly condemned the state’s security apparatus. He pointed out the stark contradiction where the Pakistan Army historically distributed weapons to Kashmiris but now labels those same individuals as terrorists for demanding their rights.

The Genesis of the Protests and the State's Response

The JAAC functions as a broad coalition uniting civil society groups, local traders, and grassroots activists. The organization’s primary agenda is built upon long-standing economic grievances, governance issues, and a demand for genuine political representation. To press for these rights, the outfit launched a massive protest campaign against Pakistani authorities on June 9, 2026.

Even before the formal launch of the massive campaign, the state moved to suppress the movement. On June 5, 2026, PoK’s Pakistani puppet authorities banned the JAAC under the Anti-Terrorism Act 2014, officially declaring it a proscribed organization by citing vague threats to peace and security. Immediately following this declaration, authorities suspended internet and mobile services in various parts of the region to restrict communication.

The tension escalated rapidly into open confrontation. On June 8, 2026, violent clashes erupted in Rawalkot (also spelled Rawalakot) within the Poonch district as local protestors clashed with occupying Pakistani forces, resulting in the killing of several locals. In response to the state’s use of force, the Jammu and Kashmir Awami Action Committee called a region-wide strike on June 9, 2026. This call led to the complete closure of markets, public transport networks, and educational institutions across major urban centers, including the capital city of Muzaffarabad.

Timeline of Key Events (June 2026)
│
├── June 5: Authorities ban JAAC under Anti-Terrorism Act; digital blackout begins.
├── June 8: Violent clashes erupt in Rawalkot; several local protestors killed.
├── June 9: Region-wide strike paralyzes major cities; massive protest campaign launched.
└── June 10: Pakistani military surveillance helicopter crashes, killing 22 personnel.

Since the initial shutdown, the wave of protests and marches has continuously expanded, spreading into major districts such as Mirpur, Kotli, and Bagh, characterized by regular rallies, sit-ins, and demonstrations. Amidst this highly volatile atmosphere, reports emerged on June 10, 2026, stating that a Pakistani military helicopter on active surveillance duty in the region had crashed, resulting in the deaths of 22 personnel onboard.

Allegations of State Hypocrisy and Terror Patronage

Addressing an assembly of over 80,000 people in Rawalkot, Sardar Aman Khan directly challenged the official narrative coming out of Islamabad. He explicitly questioned the state's justification for labeling peaceful civil rights demonstrators as national security threats, stating:

“They say they were terrorists. Look, it was the Pakistan Army that put guns into the hands of Kashmiris. Kashmiris had guns because the Pakistan Army gave them those guns. The entire Pakistan Army did it. And today, they have the audacity to call us terrorists?”

Beyond condemning the military's rhetoric, Khan leveled serious allegations regarding state collusion with actual banned militant groups. The JAAC leader asserted that the Pakistan Army had actively facilitated a public event organized by the Islamic terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad earlier this year.

According to Khan's detailed account, the Deputy Commissioner of Rawalakot did not merely grant official permission to Jaish-e-Mohammad—a notorious terrorist group—to host a public event; the local administration also provided a full security cover to the jihadis. This occurred while armed cadres carrying assault rifles and swords openly marched through the streets of the city.

Economic Blockade and Regional Identity

The rhetoric from protest leaders has increasingly challenged the constitutional framework of the occupation. Last month, while addressing a large demonstration at Rawalakot’s Eidgah Ground, Sardar Aman Khan delivered a strong speech declaring that Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir is not a part of Pakistan, asserting that PoK residents do not need Pakistan's governance. He noted:

“POK is not a part of Pakistan. We do not need Pakistan; rather, it is Pakistan that desperately needs POK,”

Khan supplemented this declaration with a clear warning directed at Islamabad. He stated that if the state establishment continues to interfere with the movement of essential items into the territory, the local population will actively look for alternative cross-border options. He warned:

“If the Pakistani establishment continues to block food, let it be known that the remaining borders of PoJK could open up. If that happens, Islamabad will find itself begging the people of PoJK to stay,”

This specific warning has been widely interpreted by political analysts on both sides of the border as an explicit move toward seeking external support from India.

    [ Islamabad's Strategy of Coercion ]
                    │
                    ▼
     Guns Fail to Silence Protestors
                    │
                    ▼
     Resort to Supplying Blockades 
  (Restricting Food, Fuel, & Medicine)

This rhetorical shift occurred after military force failed to quiet the local population. Consequently, Islamabad turned to economic measures, blocking the region's food, fuel, and healthcare supplies. This strategy is seen by locals as a desperate attempt to force anti-government protestors into submission.

Local residents, including commercial truck drivers and regional political leaders, have confirmed that transport vehicles carrying essential commodities like food grains, fuel, and life-saving medicines are being systematically prevented from crossing into the territory. Despite the visible disruption on the ground, Pakistani authorities deny the imposition of any deliberate blockade.

Faced with these conditions, the Kashmiri protesters remain undeterred, announcing that they will maintain their sit-ins and public demonstrations until the government acts on their core demands. Local groups have also sent formal appeals to international bodies, including the United Nations, Amnesty International, global media outlets, and the Kashmiri diaspora living abroad, hoping to draw international attention to the unfolding humanitarian situation.

Casualties, Crises, and International Condemnation

The human toll of the ongoing civil unrest continues to mount. Reports indicate that at least 58 people have died in the ensuing clashes, with hundreds of others sustaining injuries. Of these total casualties, at least 11 to 12 individuals were killed specifically during the initial clashes on June 8 and 9, 2026.

As the heavy-handed security crackdown by Pakistani authorities continues, several prominent international human rights organizations have publicly condemned the state's actions. In June, Amnesty International released a statement criticizing the official designation of the JAAC (also referred to as the JKJAAC) as a terrorist entity, stating:

“The proscription of JKJAAC under anti-terror laws is disproportionate, unlawful and a violation of the right to freedom of association.”

The political fallout has also reached international legislative bodies. Last month, a British parliamentary group formally requested clarification from the UK government regarding its official assessment of the situation in PoK. Imran Hussain, the Member of Parliament for Bradford East and Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Kashmir, sent an official letter to the Foreign Office of the United Kingdom. In it, he highlighted recent reports describing a:

“communications blackout, as part of a broader lockdown, alongside escalating tensions, and restrictions affecting the ability of people in the region to communicate with the outside world”

Simultaneously, the movement's prominent public voice, JAAC leader Shaukat Nawaz Mir, accused the security forces of carrying out a systemic massacre in Rawalakot, alleging that forces had been given "shoot at sight" orders to suppress the civilian population. On July 1, 2026, Mir was arrested by authorities while traveling to participate in a scheduled sit-in protest.

The 38-Point Charter and the Assembly Seat Controversy

The broader civilian movement is fundamentally a reaction against decades of centralized administrative control. Demonstrators report that unarmed civilians have been targeted with live ammunition at close range, and that security forces have removed the bodies of deceased casualties from the sites of the clashes. These actions have led to the widespread shouting of "Azadi" (freedom) slogans during public rallies. Highlighting these practices, a local Kashmiri resident stated:

“Unarmed people are being shot at point-blank range, resulting in martyrdom. They have even taken away the bodies of our youth.”

The structural framework of the current protest movement traces back to September and October of 2025, when the JAAC presented a comprehensive 38-point charter of demands during a previous wave of massive strikes. This charter contains a wide array of governance demands, including:

• Strict legal accountability for the killings of local Kashmiri civilians.

• Substantial infrastructure upgrades for regional education and healthcare systems.

• An allocation of Rs 10 billion dedicated exclusively to modernizing the local electricity grid.

• Reducing the total size of the PoK cabinet to a maximum of 20 members.

• Placing strict limits on the number of administrative secretaries.

• Merging the regional Ehtesab Bureau with existing anti-corruption bodies.

• Fully aligning local statutory laws with federal standards while curbing elite administrative privileges.

• Lowering property transfer taxes, reducing advance tax rates, and establishing a strict merit-based system for educational admissions.

The most critical political demand within the charter involves a call to review the status of "outside constituencies." These are 12 specific seats within the 45-seat PoK Legislative Assembly that are explicitly reserved for refugees from the Indian-administered side of Jammu and Kashmir who currently reside elsewhere in various provinces of Pakistan.

While regional administrative reports indicate that the Pakistani regime has conceded to most of the economic and structural upgrades, the core political dispute over these outside constituencies remains entirely unresolved. Local activist groups argue that Islamabad systematically utilizes these 12 reserved seats to manipulate regional election outcomes, allowing the federal capital to install compliant local governments and dilute genuine local representation.

The legal dimension of this dispute was solidified on June 7, 2026, when the PoK Supreme Court ruled that these 12 assembly seats are "constitutionally protected" and cannot be legally altered or abolished without a full constitutional amendment. Because these reserved seats serve as a primary mechanism for federal authorities to maintain administrative control over the regional assembly, the establishment remains highly reluctant to accept the JKAAC's structural demands.

This domestic crisis highlights a long-standing contradiction in Pakistan's regional foreign policy. While official state rhetoric frequently describes Indian-administered Kashmir as its political "jugular vein" and campaigns for its "liberation," security forces continue to use lethal force against Kashmiri civilians within its own administrative zone. The federal establishment maintains tight control over the territory officially designated as "Azad" (Free) Jammu and Kashmir. Yet, while diplomatic channels voice concern for the residents of Indian-administered Kashmir—who maintain access to federal resources and constitutional facilities—Pakistan's own Defence Minister, Khwaja Asif, publicly dismissed the protesting residents of Rawalakot and Mirpur as "not proper Kashmiris" simply because they organized to demand basic civil rights and administrative dignity.