Azad Kashmir Protesters Threaten July 15 March on Muzaffarabad Over Unmet Demands

ISLAMABAD: Leaders of ongoing demonstrations in Azad Kashmir have issued a stark warning that thousands of supporters will march toward the regional capital of Muzaffarabad on July 15 unless their demands are addressed, escalating tensions in a region already grappling with weeks of unrest and political friction.

The standoff between local authorities and members of the banned Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) presents a delicate challenge for Pakistan’s federal government, which has previously condemned India’s handling of protests in the contested territory but now faces criticism within its own administered areas.

The crisis began after the JAAC organized a nationwide strike on June 9, opposing the allocation of 12 reserved seats for refugees in the upcoming July 27 elections to Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s 45-member legislative assembly. The refugees, originally displaced from Indian-administered Kashmir during the 1947 partition, have become a focal point of political contention.

Recent violence has intensified the conflict. At least seven individuals, including four police officers and three protesters, died in clashes in Rawalakot last month, where officials alleged JAAC supporters attacked law enforcement. On Monday, JAAC leaders claimed two additional demonstrators were killed in Mirpur, though regional police dispute these figures.

“A long march toward Muzaffarabad will be held on July 15,” the JAAC announced in a statement Thursday. “After July 14, our demands will extend beyond the current Charter of Demand, and we will unveil further measures.”

Despite being outlawed under anti-terrorism legislation in June, JAAC supporters have continued protests, sit-ins, and business shutdowns that have disrupted routine life across much of the territory. Both the government and the group provide conflicting narratives regarding the extent of the disruptions.

Currently, thousands of JAAC activists remain encamped on the outskirts of Rawalakot, located approximately 100 kilometers south of Muzaffarabad, awaiting the July 27 elections in the strategically significant region that both India and Pakistan claim in full but govern partially.

The Azad Jammu and Kashmir government justified the ban on June 5, citing concerns over “potential violence, acquisition of weapons, attacks on law-enforcement personnel, and plans to disrupt normal life.” JAAC rejects these accusations, maintaining its advocacy for rights remains nonviolent.

JAAC’s push for protests erupted after negotiations with Pakistan’s federal government collapsed over the refugee seat dispute. The group argues that the reserved seats enable mainstream Pakistani political parties to manipulate governance in Azad Kashmir and has demanded their immediate repeal.

However, the movement faced a legal setback in June when the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Supreme Court ruled that the reserved seats are constitutionally protected and cannot be abolished through administrative decisions. JAAC has since vowed to escalate its campaign through alternative means.

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