AJK police say JAAC working under ‘specific agenda’, accuse protesters of using automatic weapons

Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Police spokesperson Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Khawar Ali Shaukat on Wednesday said the proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) was operating under an “agenda” aimed at destabilising the region, accusing protesters of firing automatic weapons at security personnel from fortified positions inside buildings.

“This shows that the banned JAAC is working here according to an agenda, the purpose of which is to destroy peace in AJK, disrupt Kashmir’s social fabric, and, at the same time, undermine the atmosphere of brotherhood and peace,” said Shaukat during a press conference in Rawalakot.

The statement came after clashes reported between law enforcement personnel and protesters in Rawalakot during the first phase of the AJK elections in Mirpur Division two days earlier, with reports of multiple deaths and injuries circulating on social media. Several videos circulating online showed scenes of unrest, with claims of violence and casualties, though the details could not be independently verified. Both security forces and the banned Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) claimed the loss of lives on both sides.

SSP said that clashes had exposed the “false narrative” on social media portraying the movement as peaceful. “This is not a peaceful movement; it has become an armed group.”

According to Shaukat, armed groups attacked security personnel deployed across different parts of Rawalakot to maintain law and order, prompting police to launch operations.

He said state institutions had “always tried to exercise restraint,” but added that when “armed groups attack police and law enforcement agencies, it becomes our constitutional and legal responsibility to take action in accordance with the law.”

Describing the violence over the past two days, the AJK police spokesperson said individuals had taken positions inside buildings before opening fire on security forces with what he described as modern weapons.

“You have seen how, over the last two days, they occupied buildings, established positions and opened fire on security forces and police personnel using modern weapons,” he said.

Shaukat said the attacks resulted in the death of one Rangers official while approximately 15 police and other law enforcement personnel sustained injuries during the clashes.

Read: Casualties reported after JAAC, police clash in AJK’s Rawalakot

Pointing to the scale of the violence, he said the use of heavy and automatic weapons showed those involved were “not an ordinary organisation.” “Its links lead elsewhere,” he added.

The spokesperson said police and other law enforcement agencies had responded wherever attacks took place despite suffering casualties of their own.

He added that several people allegedly involved in violent incidents had been arrested during the operations.

According to Shaukat, officers recovered a cache of weapons from those detained, including pistols, automatic firearms, ammunition and what he described as American-made automatic weapons.

Standing before the seized weapons during the briefing, he said the display contradicted claims that those involved had been peaceful demonstrators. “You can see the weapons displayed here—pistols, automatic weapons and ammunition. These were recovered from those arrested,” he said.

He also rejected “online attempts” to portray the security operation as action against peaceful protesters. “The narrative that peaceful demonstrators are being targeted is contrary to the facts,” he said, gesturing towards the weapons displayed before reporters.

Shaukat accused “anti-state elements” of spreading what he described as negative propaganda on social media and said police would continue exercising restraint while responding wherever security personnel came under attack.

Later, AJK Police spokesperson SSP Muhammad Riaz Mughal accused the JAAC of orchestrating violent protests under the guise of a peaceful movement, claiming that 21 police personnel had been killed in protest-related violence this year.

Addressing a press conference in Muzaffarabad, Mughal describing himself as both “a witness and a victim”, alleged that in 2026 at least 21 cops were martyred, 157 were gravely injured and 629 received minor injuries.

“In the backdrop of this data, the myth of peaceful protests is busted,” the police spokesperson asserted.

He warned that the “weaponisation” of the protestors was a threat to all while displaying a cache of weapons “recovered” from members of the banned outfit.

Referring to several videos emerging from the JAAC as evidence of the law enforcement’s violent approach towards the demonstrators, the cop claimed “those were doctored to suit the [JAAC] narrative” and “old videos were reused to facilitate their agenda”.

He urged the public and independent investigators to verify the ground situation in the valley.

“They protestors do not even account for one percent of Kashmiris,” he alleged, adding that most of the protestors had “criminal backgrounds” and included “drug pushers”.

The police spokesperson also refuted claims of “extrajudicial killing” of protesters and, in the same breath, said, “We only kill them when they attack us.”

Political parties call for transparent investigation

The clashes in Rawalakot drew sharp criticism from political parties and rights groups. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) said it was “deeply alarmed” by reports that several people had been killed and many others injured.

While acknowledging that authorities had a duty to maintain public order, HRCP said this “must never come at the expense of the right to life or the freedoms of peaceful assembly and expression,” calling for “a prompt, impartial and independent investigation” into the reported deaths and injuries and urging authorities to “exercise restraint” as the remaining phases of the elections approach.

The opposition alliance Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz-e-Ayeen Pakistan also condemned the use of “excessive force” against protesters, saying demonstrations had continued for weeks over “democratic rights, justice and the rule of law.” It maintained that protesters had been carrying out a “peaceful march against unbearable inflation and unemployment,” alleged that opposition leaders attempting to mediate were prevented from reaching the area, and called on Pakistanis to stand against violations of democracy, the rule of law and human rights.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf also decried the reported firing, calling for an “immediate, independent, transparent and impartial judicial investigation” to establish the facts and hold those responsible accountable. It described the reported deaths and injuries as an attack on “human rights, democratic values and civil liberties,” and said, “the voice of the people cannot be suppressed through any form of oppression or use of force.”

Read More: HRCP calls for impartial, independent probe into reports of deaths in Rawalakot clashes

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman also condemned the violence, calling the firing on civilians “open terrorism”. He said protesting against government policies was a constitutional right, asked, “Are the people not even allowed to raise their voices for their rights?”, and urged authorities to immediately end what he described as oppression in the region.

Background

AJK’s 53-member legislative assembly includes 12 seats reserved for Kashmiri refugees — people who fled Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) in 1947 and 1965 and are now scattered across Pakistan. Six seats represent refugees from the Jammu division (~434,000 people) and six from the Kashmir Valley (~30,000 people) — an already lopsided arrangement that many see as unfair.

The region witnessed one of its most turbulent periods in October last year when protests led by the JAAC erupted over demands for constitutional and governance reforms. At least nine people, including three policemen, were killed during the unrest.

The JAAC, which organised the protests and strike, had presented a wide-ranging charter of demands, including an end to the privileges enjoyed by the ruling elite, the abolition of 12 assembly seats reserved for refugees, and the scrapping of the quota system.

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

The matter is at a deadlock at the moment, with the JAAC calling for the abolition of the seats while the government rejects the demand.