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June 12 , 2026
Thousands March in Azad Kashmir as Clashes between Protesters and Security Forces Kill at Least 15
Muzaffarabad: An uneasy silence has blanketed major districts in Pakistan-administered Kashmir
At least 15 people have been killed in clashes between protesters and security forces in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, local authorities say.
The violence comes after an alliance of activist groups called on people to protest against the reservation of legislative seats for refugees who migrated to Pakistan from Indian-administered Kashmir decades ago.
Authorities responded by accusing the group of sedition and violence, banning it and offering a bounty for the arrest of its leaders.
This did not stop thousands of people marching towards the regional capital Muzaffarabad, angry that nearly a quarter of assembly seats remain reserved for people living outside the territory.
Those killed in the recent clashes include 11 civilians and four security officers.
Local officials say that a massive convoy of protesters - more than 10,000 by official estimates - is 4km (2.4 miles) outside the city of Rawalkot.
The Poonch district commissioner Sardar Waheed Khan told BBC Urdu that security officials were patrolling the area to ensure law and order, while residents had been told not to leave their homes.
He added that the convoy of protesters would not be allowed to pass through Rawalkot to go to Muzaffarabad.
BBC Urdu reporters say that local mosques are broadcasting announcements asking people not to leave their homes. There are fears of further violence but Khan said that rule of law "would be ensured".
Authorities in the region have stepped up security, with helicopters flying surveillance flights in the state capital Muzaffarabad as well as in Rawalakot.
Why are people protesting?
The reservation of 12 seats for Kashmiri refugees - who do not live in Pakistan-administered Kashmir - in the local legislative assembly election to be held on 27 July has been a contentious issue in the region. It effectively bars people who live inside Pakistan-administered Kashmir from contesting the seats, which make up almost a quarter of the legislature.
The reservation was introduced decades ago to ensure people displaced from Indian-administered Kashmir - and who settled in Pakistan hoping one day to return to their homes if a long-standing dispute over the region was resolved - still had a say in the territory's governance.
The Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), a collective of activist groups, has called for the abolition of the reserved seats, arguing that it undermines local representation and that all the seats in the legislature must go to those who actually reside in the region.
But the authorities say the seats are essential.
They banned JAAC on 5 June under anti-terrorism laws, claiming that the group "engaged in terrorism" and behaved "in a manner prejudicial to the peace and security of the state", local media reported.
The Supreme Court of Pakistan-administered-Kashmir also ruled that the seats are constitutionally protected and cannot be altered through administrative measures, political agreements, or public pressure, according to a detailed advisory opinion issued on a presidential reference.
What has led to the violence?
The unrest follows deadly clashes last year between security forces and the JAAC, who issued a list of 38 demands.
Government figures say it accepted 37 of them - but the remaining demand of abolishing the refugees' seats cannot be achieved.
BBC Urdu reports that the situation first escalated in Rawalakot earlier this week when protesters and security forces clashed. Twelve deaths, four of them security personnel, were reported on Sunday.
Another three people died in clashes in the city of Kotli on Tuesday, officials told the BBC. At least 50 people have been injured in the clashes and it is feared the number of dead could rise.
Amnesty International said in a statement on Tuesday that the "violent and sweeping crackdown" on the protests, which includes "an internet shutdown, mass arbitrary arrests, and deadly use of force", "continues an alarming deterioration of human rights in the region".
But despite the violence, the march to Muzaffarabad is still continuing, and the JAAC has also called for a general strike. An uneasy silence has now blanketed the city, with streets empty, businesses shuttered and police on patrol.
It's unclear if these businesses were closed because of safety concerns, or if they were going on strike in solidarity with the JAAC.
One trader in Muzaffarabad told BBC Urdu that they had closed their shop not because of any organization but out of their own free will. They said they would continue the strike until their demands were met or an end to the strike was announced. - BBC
Courtesy BBC
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