Kashmir Group Arrests
Pakistan-administered Kashmir Police Arrest Dozens From Outlawed Group Amid Rally Plans
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Police in Pakistan-administered Kashmir arrested roughly 72 supporters of the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) on June 6, 2026, just days before a planned mass rally. Express Tribune reported the raids swept across Muzaffarabad, Mirpur, and Rawalakot. The arrests came one day after the regional government banned the JAAC under the Anti-Terrorism Act, calling its activities a threat to "peace and security."
The crackdown marks a sharp escalation in a months-long standoff between Islamabad and a grassroots group that started as a protest over electricity bills and flour prices. AJK Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore said he is willing to negotiate, but the two sides remain deadlocked over a key reform that could reshape who controls the territory's legislature.
A Civil Rights Group Recast as a Terror Threat
The JAAC was formed in September 2023 by traders, lawyers, and civil society members angry about soaring electricity and food costs. By May 2024, protests had turned deadly, killing at least four people. Pakistan's federal government responded with a Rs 23 billion subsidy package to end the strike, according to Dawn.
Protests resumed in late 2025 over broken promises. Between September 29 and October 3, 2025, clashes killed 10 to 12 people, according to Amnesty International. A 38-point agreement — called the Muzaffarabad Agreement — was signed on October 4, 2025. But the JAAC says most of those 38 demands were never met. JAAC leader Shaukat Nawaz Mir called the government's use of anti-terror laws a move to "suppress the power of the people."
The 'Refugee Seats' Dispute That Broke the Deal
The AJK government claims it has fulfilled 36 of the 38 demands — including wheat subsidies and Rs 10 billion for power grid upgrades. The sticking point is 12 legislative seats reserved for Kashmiri refugees living in mainland Pakistan, not in AJK itself. The JAAC calls these seats a "tool for political manipulation" used by Islamabad to install friendly governments in Muzaffarabad, according to TRT World.
AJK PM Rathore told Dawn that abolishing the refugee seats is "a constitutional matter that cannot be decided by a single political party alone." Pakistan's Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif added that removing those seats would undermine the "sacrifices of the refugee communities." With AJK general elections set for July 27, 2026, both sides are digging in.
Internet Blackout and 14,000 Extra Troops Deployed
Alongside the ban, the AJK Home Department imposed a communications blackout cutting internet and mobile data, according to NetBlocks. The government also requested 14,000 additional Rangers and Frontier Corps personnel to hold the line before the planned June 9 rally. The AJK Election Commission says army and Rangers will also oversee the July 27 vote.
A government travel advisory ordered tourists out of the region from June 5 to June 20. Hotel owners in the Neelum Valley reported mass cancellations during the peak summer season, according to Dawn. Political analyst Ammar Ali Jan warned that the ban is a "suicidal policy" that will only "fuel resentment" — a view echoed by critics who say the Anti-Terrorism Act is being misused to clear the field before the elections.
Rights Groups Warn of Deepening Legitimacy Crisis
Amnesty International has condemned communications blackouts and the use of "excessive force" against protesters as violations of international law. The JAAC's proscription comes weeks after Pakistan's PTI party was also barred from registering in AJK, citing financial irregularities, according to The News Pakistan. Critics say both moves reduce political competition ahead of the July 27 vote.
Pro-government analysts argue the opposite — that JAAC-led strikes damage Pakistan's international position on the broader Kashmir dispute by making the region look unstable. The two framings reflect a deeper split: the government sees the JAAC as a security threat; the group sees itself as the only check on decades of neglect by Islamabad.
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