News
July 17, 2026
Nine Killed in Kashmir ClashesBy Tariq Maqbool
Muzaffarabad: Clashes between security forces and supporters of a banned protest group in Pakistan-administered Kashmir killed nine people on Tuesday, officials said, a day before the group planned a march against controversial electoral arrangements ahead of regional elections later this month.
The violence stems from a dispute over 12 seats reserved in the regional assembly for refugees who live elsewhere in Pakistan, a system protesters say dilutes local representation.
Poonch Divisional Commissioner Waheed Khan said protesters blocked a security convoy and attacked officials in the Poonch sector.
"Police and security officials responded in self-defense," Khan told Reuters.
Six protesters and one police officer were killed in Tararkhal, while a protester and a security official died in a separate clash in Rawalakot, he said.
The Joint Action Committee (JAAC), banned in June under anti-terror laws, has called for a march on Rawalakot on Wednesday. Khan said security forces were prepared to prevent marchers from entering the city.
Around 30 people have been killed in the unrest since June, according to local estimates. - Reuters
Al Jazeera adds: At least nine people were killed in clashes in Pakistan-administered Kashmir on Tuesday, as a planned protest march to the region’s capital, Muzaffarabad, temporarily stalled amid rising tensions.
Security personnel raided a house on the outskirts of Rawalakot town in the region’s Poonch district after receiving a tip-off about a weapons cache, but came under fire, officials said. An officer was killed.
In a separate clash in Sudhnoti district, protesters blocked a security convoy, which officials said came under a barrage of stones and gunfire. Seven protesters and a police officer were killed, according to authorities. Police officials have said that security personnel acted in self-defense.
Deadly protests have rocked the region since the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), a group that is leading a major protest movement, was proscribed under anti-terrorism laws on June 5.
Meanwhile, protesters gathered under the JAAC’s umbrella were still in Rawalkot on Wednesday evening, despite announcing they would set off at 2pm on Wednesday, officials told Al Jazeera. The government has severely restricted internet and phone access in the region, making it harder to reach the protesters directly.
Munir Qureshi, deputy commissioner of Muzaffarabad, said the situation in the capital and surrounding areas was calm.
“Muzaffarabad and its adjoining areas are all clear, and there is no disturbance to public life,” he told Al Jazeera. “Internet access is limited due to the security situation, otherwise the situation is normal and there is no protest or violence.”
Liaqat Ali Malik, inspector general of police for Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), told Al Jazeera the crowd in Rawalakot was estimated at between 3,000 and 4,000 people.
“There has been no violence today,” he said.
But tensions continue to simmer. The current unrest stems from a long-running dispute over political representation.
Political dispute
At the center of the dispute are 12 seats in the region’s legislature reserved for Kashmiri refugees who migrated to Pakistan after 1947 and now live outside the region.
The JAAC argues the arrangement allows Pakistan-based political parties to influence the government of Pakistan-administered Kashmir while diverting development funds intended for the region.
Last month, the Supreme Court of the region ruled that the seats are constitutionally protected and cannot be abolished without a constitutional amendment, a decision that hardened the group’s protest campaign.
Elections in the region are scheduled for July 27.
Khan, the Poonch commissioner, said marchers would not be allowed to pass through Rawalakot and would instead have to use mountain trails to reach Muzaffarabad.
Back to Pakistanlink Home