By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: A former prime minister of Azad Kashmir from the governing Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz has urged authorities to intervene to stop bloodshed in Rawalakot after reports of fresh violence in the city.
Raja Muhammad Farooq Haider Khan, who led Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) before the party returned to power in August, made the appeal in a post on X on Friday. “I appeal to the concerned quarters to intervene to stop the bloodshed in Rawalakot before it is too late,” he wrote.
The city remains unsettled after alleged clashes between security forces and supporters of the proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), with casualties reported.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) said it was “deeply concerned by reports of a fresh spate of violence in Rawalakot in AJK, with allegations of casualties among both protesters and law enforcement personnel”. The commission said the federal and AJK governments “must prevent the situation from deteriorating further and immediately begin a meaningful dialogue to address citizens’ concerns”.
It also called for the media to be given “unhindered access to report from the region independently”. “The priority must be to prevent any loss of life and resolve the situation through political dialogue rather than by force,” the commission said, adding that it had raised these concerns during a fact-finding mission to AJK in early August.
State television reported that law enforcement agencies carried out an early-morning operation on Thursday against protest sit-ins that had continued in Rawalakot for several months, clearing protesters from the city’s bus terminal. A similar operation in Bagh district on Wednesday ended a sit-in at Kothian, it said.
The administration then imposed Section 144 in Rawalakot, banning gatherings of five or more people, along with public meetings, processions, rallies and protests.
Also on Thursday, the AJK Home Department ordered all weapon licence holders in the region to register their licences at the nearest police station within 10 days. Licences left unregistered will be treated as cancelled. The notification said President Dr Najeeb Naqi approved the measure in the interest of public safety and the maintenance of law and order.
The unrest stems from a protest movement led by the JAAC. It began over inflation, rising electricity tariffs, unemployment and the lack of basic facilities, and grew into a demand for constitutional and governance reform. The demands include abolishing 12 assembly seats reserved for refugees, ending privileges for the political elite and changing the quota system. The committee launched its campaign in early June and planned a long march on the regional capital, Muzaffarabad, on 9 June.
The AJK government proscribed the group in early June, saying it had “reasonable grounds to believe” the committee was “engaged in terrorism”. Officials said 35 of its 38 demands had been accepted or implemented, and accused members of a series of violent attacks on state personnel and property. Several leaders were detained, and a number of members announced they were leaving the organisation.
On 11 June the government reinstated 177 first information reports against JAAC members, withdrawing concessions granted under a 4 October 2025 agreement. Authorities said the committee had broken the deal by returning to street protests.
Clashes in Rawalakot in July left casualties, and the HRCP called for an independent investigation after the two sides gave conflicting accounts. The PML-N then formed the government in August after winning a majority in the AJK elections, with Barrister Syed Iftikhar Ali Gilani elected prime minister.
Protests and clashes have nonetheless continued in Rawalakot and Muzaffarabad.
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