Kashmir Protests: AJK Police Cases Raise Fresh Rights Concerns
MUZAFFARABAD: Authorities in Azad Jammu and Kashmir have arrested 122 people and registered 69 police cases over violence linked to protests led by the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee, or JKAAC.
Inspector General of Police Liaquat Ali Malik said on Monday that those arrested were accused of attacking police and other security personnel and damaging government property. Speaking at a news conference with Chief Secretary Khushal Khan, he said the authorities had shown restraint but would pursue anyone responsible for violence.
Malik said three police officers were killed during earlier clashes and claimed that more than 1,000 people, including police, Rangers, Frontier Constabulary personnel and civilians, were injured. He described some protesters as “disruptive elements” and accused them of using public demands to challenge the state, reported by the Express Tribune.
The officials said normal life had returned, with markets open and traffic moving. Khan said the government’s authority had been restored after protests caused road blockades, strikes and a wider shutdown across the territory.
However, accounts of the unrest remain sharply divided. JKAAC and local residents have accused police and paramilitary Rangers of using excessive force, including firing on protesters. Activists and local sources have reported that the crackdown caused more than 100 deaths and left over 1,000 people injured, although these figures have not been independently verified and differ significantly from official accounts.
Reports carried by international and regional media have described many JKAAC demonstrations as largely peaceful, with women, children and families among the participants. Protesters have rejected official claims that the movement was controlled by armed groups and have accused the authorities of portraying a civil rights campaign as a security threat.
The protests began over demands for political and constitutional reforms, including the removal of refugee reserved seats in the AJK Legislative Assembly, an end to privileges for political leaders and changes to the quota system. An agreement reached in October 2025 eased tensions temporarily, but demonstrations resumed after the government banned JKAAC and several clashes followed.
The latest arrests and police cases have renewed concern among rights activists over accountability, freedom of assembly and the use of force in AJK (pakistani administrated parts of Kashmir). With casualty figures still disputed, calls are growing for an independent investigation into the violence and the deaths of both protesters and security personnel.
