At Eidgah Ground in Rawalakot, the main protest site, organisers claimed tens of thousands of people had remained in or around the sit-in for more than 11 days. Children holding placards called for basic rights, free education, restored internet access and an end to the use of force. Several signs carried direct appeals to the United Nations, while others accused Pakistani security forces of killing Kashmiris and demanded their withdrawal.
The participation of pupils and women has shifted the optics of the protest from a largely organised political mobilisation to a broader civil action rooted in anger over representation, policing, rising living costs and curbs on communications. Demonstrations have also been reported in towns and villages beyond Rawalakot, including Tarar Khel and Mandhole, where women marched and children raised slogans for freedom.
The agitation is being driven by the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee, a coalition of traders, civil society activists and local rights groups that was proscribed by the regional authorities earlier this month. The alliance has been pressing a 38-point charter that includes political, economic and administrative demands. Key issues include the abolition of 12 legislative seats reserved for refugees from Jammu and Kashmir who settled in Pakistan after 1947, subsidies for flour and electricity, and stronger local control over resources.
The dispute over the reserved seats has sharpened ahead of the July 27 legislative assembly elections. Protest leaders argue that the arrangement gives non-residents influence over local decision-making. The administration says the matter is constitutionally protected and cannot be handled through street pressure. Talks last year resolved several economic demands, but the representation issue remained unsettled.
The confrontation turned deadly after clashes in Rawalakot and surrounding areas in early June. At least 24 people, including civilians and police personnel, have been reported killed during the unrest, while scores of officers and protesters have been injured. More than 500 people have been detained in the crackdown. Authorities have imposed road closures, internet restrictions and heavy security deployment, while local residents have reported shortages of fuel, disrupted banking services and pressure on daily wage earners.
Regional Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore has signalled willingness to hold what he described as meaningful dialogue but has ruled out a blanket amnesty for those accused of violence. Officials have asked JAAC leaders to surrender and face legal proceedings, saying negotiations cannot proceed under threat of further unrest. Protest leaders have rejected the ban on their movement and warned that failure to address their demands could trigger a march towards Muzaffarabad.
The authorities have accused sections of the protest movement of inciting violence and threatening public order. JAAC supporters dispute that account, saying the movement is rooted in peaceful demands for rights and accountability. The competing narratives have deepened mistrust, particularly after the use of anti-terror and sedition provisions against activists.
The shutdown has hit Muzaffarabad, Rawalakot, Mirpur and several smaller towns, with markets closed and transport disrupted. Families dependent on daily income have been among the hardest hit. Communications curbs have also limited independent verification from protest sites, allowing competing claims on crowd size, casualties and security operations to circulate widely.
The protests are unfolding in a territory long central to the wider Kashmir dispute. Pakistan administers the region through its own political framework, while retaining significant influence over security and external affairs. India claims the area as part of Jammu and Kashmir and refers to it as Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Islamabad rejects that position and frames the territory as self-governing under Pakistan’s support.
