Seven killed, dozens injured as protests escalate in Pakistan-administered Kashmir

Clashes between supporters of the banned Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) and security forces in Pakistan-administered Kashmir left seven people dead, including four security personnel, and injured dozens ahead of a planned protest over political rights and legislative representation, Washington Post and AFP reported.

The violence erupted on Sunday, a day after the Supreme Court of Pakistan-administered Kashmir ruled that 12 legislative seats reserved for Kashmiri refugees living in Pakistan are constitutionally protected and cannot be abolished without a constitutional amendment.

Among those killed were four security personnel and three JAAC supporters, police said. Several police officers and civilians were also injured.

According to police, armed JAAC supporters opened fire on security forces in Rawalakot and later surrounded the Combined Military Hospital, disrupting medical services.

Authorities said security forces eventually dispersed the crowd and restored order. Protesters were also accused of setting fires and damaging government and private property.

By Monday, hospital services had resumed and major highways, markets and commercial centres were functioning normally. Officials said legal action was being taken against those involved in the unrest.

The ruling came ahead of a JAAC rally scheduled for Tuesday. The group has long campaigned for greater political rights in the region and has sought the abolition of the refugee seats, arguing that refugees wield disproportionate political influence. It has organised several large protests in recent years, some of which turned violent.

Tensions in the region had been mounting for weeks and intensified after the court responded to a presidential reference seeking guidance on constitutional issues related to the refugee seats and forthcoming elections for the 45-member Legislative Assembly.

In its verdict, the court said the 12 refugee seats could not be removed through executive action and that any change would require a constitutional amendment passed by the Legislative Assembly. The court also said public order could not be disrupted in the name of political protest and that elections must be held within the constitutionally prescribed time frame.

The current Legislative Assembly has completed its term and elections are scheduled for next month.

The regional government recently banned the JAAC, citing threats to public order, and arrested dozens of its supporters last week. The disputed refugee seats are reserved for people who migrated to Pakistan from Jammu and Kashmir decades ago and are intended to represent communities displaced by the long-running conflict over the Himalayan region.

The regional government said that, during negotiations last year involving JAAC, regional authorities and Pakistan’s federal government, it accepted 36 of the group’s 38 demands.

The two remaining demands related to constitutional matters that could only be addressed by the Legislative Assembly.