AJK police say 3 JAAC members killed in clashes in Rawalakot, several injured

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

The statement comes after deadly clashes in AJK’s Rawalakot, where the JAAC had been staging a sit-in in front of CMH hospital Rawalakot. AJK Police allege that armed JAAC members opened fire on law enforcement forces deployed in a planned attack, leaving four personnel dead and around 20 injured. JAAC, however, disputes this version, stating that security forces used tear gas and fired projectiles towards the hospital.

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

AJK Police said armed individuals attempted to disturb peace in the area on the night of June 7 by launching a planned shooting attack on law enforcement personnel. The attackers subsequently laid siege to CMH Rawalakot, severely disrupting hospital services and medical operations. Police said the miscreants also set fire at several places and caused damage to public and private properties.

The press release adds that law enforcement responded with “professionalism, restraint and responsibility,” carrying out a limited and selective operation between the night of June 7 and 8 to clear the hospital siege. He said the safety of patients, medical staff and civilians was given priority, and CMH Rawalakot was now fully authorized and medical services restored.

The police stated that since June 6, four law enforcement personnel have been killed in firing incidents, including three AJK Rawalakot Police personnel and one Border Police personnel, while several others were injured. He further stated that three people linked to the Action Committee died due to their own “indiscriminate shooting,” and additional injuries were reported.

Read: Four police officers martyred, more than 20 injured in Rawalakot shooting: AJK police

According to the statement, the situation has been controlled, roads have been reopened and markets are operating normally throughout the area.

Police said those involved in the violence have been dispersed and operations against armed elements continue. He added that legal action is being taken against those responsible for disturbing the peace and that the organizers of the riots 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 urges the public to avoid getting involved in any activities related to the banned group, not to believe rumors and to rely only on official sources for information.

Meanwhile, according to a Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) post on

The JAAC claimed that seven people were killed and dozens injured when shots were fired on the street in the dark after the electricity was allegedly cut. He further alleged that protesters were attacked during what he 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 urged authorities to immediately withdraw security forces and implement what it called the “legitimate and constitutional demands” of the people. He warned that the protesters would not back down from their demands under any circumstances.

The region witnessed one of its most turbulent periods in October last year, when protests led by the JAAC broke out over demands for constitutional and governance reforms. At least nine people, including three police officers, died during the riots.

The JAAC, which organized the protests and strike, had put forward 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 elimination of the quota system.

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

The unrest also sparked political unrest in the region. The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) subsequently moved a no-confidence resolution against then Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq, and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) joined the effort. Haq, who had been elected in April 2023 with 48 votes, preferred to face the vote rather than resign.

On 17 November, Raja Faisal Mumtaz Rathore secured 36 votes in the elections and became the 16th chief minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

With elections approaching and the issue of refugee seats still unresolved, the AJK government called an All Parties Conference (APC) in Muzaffarabad to build consensus. Almost all major parties attended, except the PTI and JAAC, which boycotted it.

The JAAC’s position is that the government had already rejected its written proposals submitted on May 30, so attending would be futile. He had proposed maintaining symbolic representation of refugees until the Kashmir dispute is permanently resolved, or replacing the 12 assembly seats with 4 seats in the AJK Council, a body chaired by the Prime Minister, which he claimed would better preserve the political dimension of the Kashmir cause.

The APC rejected any changes outside the constitutional and legislative framework, saying only the elected assembly could alter the seating arrangement for refugees. The JAAC called the resolution “a page and a half of absolutely trivial lines” and accused participants of coming together to serve their own interests and not those of the public.

The JAAC called for a large protest for June 9 in Muzaffarabad, with caravans converging from across the region.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry on Sunday rejected claims that the agreement with JAAC had not been implemented and said the government had fulfilled the vast majority of its commitments in AJK.

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