Mayhem in POK: 14 killed in police firing during march on election day, says outfit
Violence erupted in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir as the outlawed JAAC activists clashed with security forces during a long march on the day the region went to the polls. The JAAC alleged that indiscriminate firing by security personnel killed at least 14 of its members. The authorities disputed the claims and said the casualties could not be verified.
At least 14 protestors were killed after Pakistani security forces opened fire on a long march in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir on July 27 (Monday), the banned Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) alleged. This came as the illegally occupied region held the first phase of its legislative assembly elections that are taking place amid a heavy security deployment and widespread unrest, reported BBC Urdu.
The violence erupted near the city of Rawalakot, where thousands of supporters and activists of the JAAC attempted to march towards Muzaffarabad, the occupied region's capital, after weeks of protests and demonstrations. While the JAAC claimed in a statement reported by BBC Urdu that 14 of its activists were killed in police firing, authorities in POK disputed the toll, claiming they had not received any evidence to verify the casualties.
According to the BBC Urdu report, the police chief of POK, Captain (retd.) Liaquat Ali Mallik stated that the administration was unable to confirm any casualty claims brought forward by the JAAC, because no bodies had been received by any private or government hospital in the occupied region.
"The claims of 14 deaths by the Joint Action Committee cannot be verified because no bodies have been brought to any government or private hospital and the police do not have any bodies," Malik told BBC Urdu.
He added that two police officers had been injured in clashes between security forces and protestors in clashes on Monday, and that they were undergoing treatment at the Combined Military Hospital in Rawalpindi.
An official within the Rawalakot District Administration told BBC Urdu an officer of the Pakistan Rangers was killed, and several others were injured when Awami Action Committee workers opened fire on law enforcement personnel on Monday evening. The official said protesters also set two Rangers and police vehicles ablaze in Rawalakot.
Authorities in POK and the JAAC have offered sharply conflicting accounts of how the violence unfolded on Monday.
Police and security forces alleged that demonstrators marching towards Muzaffarabad opened fire when trying to force their way into Rawalakot city.
A district official told BBC Urdu that security forces blocked 2,000 protesters approaching the city from the bus terminal and another 3,000 marchers from Dreak, where the JAAC has been camping for over six weeks.
"Wherever protesters open fire, security forces will respond with fire. Tear gas is being used to stop the remaining protesters," the official said. He added that women were among those marching from Dreak, positioned at the rear of the procession.
The JAAC, however, rejected the government's version, insisting that security forces opened fire on what it described as a peaceful march. Abid Shaheen, a member of the JAAC's core committee, alleged that law enforcement personnel fired without provocation as protesters moved from Dreak towards Rawalakot.
"Law enforcement agencies opened fire on participants of the peaceful long march," Shaheen told BBC Urdu, adding that the march "will not stop under any circumstances" until it reaches Muzaffarabad. While Shaheen gave the total number of dead as 14, a post by the JAAC on its social media handle on X claimed that at least 20 people had been killed in the clashes on Monday, adding that it had identified at least 19 of those individuals.
The committee also claimed that the bodies of those killed had been kept at a medical camp near Dreak. However, BBC Urdu said it was unable to independently verify either the casualty figures or the competing claims made by the protesters and authorities.
MEA REACTS TO POK LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS AND VIOLENCE
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday said that the "elections for the so-called Assembly in the illegally occupied region are a cosmetic exercise".
"We have seen reports regarding the so-called legislative assembly elections being conducted in the Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir... The current cosmetic electoral exercise is nothing but an attempt by Pakistan to camouflage its illegal occupation and hide its grave human rights violations in the region," MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Tuesday.
"The ongoing mass protest in Pakistan-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir is the direct consequence of its economic exploitation, its denial of fundamental rights to the people and its administrative oppression," MEA Spokesperson Jaiswal added.
WHY IS THE JAAC PROTESTING IN PAKISTAN-OCCUPIED KASHMIR?
The JAAC has been protesting since June over what it calls an unfair electoral system in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, with its primary demand being the abolition of 12 reserved seats in the 53-member Legislative Assembly allocated to refugees from Kashmir.
The group argues that many of those represented in these seats do not live in POK, denying residents full political representation. It says all assembly seats should be contested only by people residing in the region. The JAAC, even as they have been banned from contesting elections, also called for a boycott of polls, arguing that the electoral process lacks legitimacy unless the issue is addressed.
The latest confrontation followed the collapse of talks between the JAAC and the POK government on July 24. After that, the group announced a long march starting from the city of Rawalakot to the occupied region's capital, Muzaffarabad, which saw thousands gather near Rawalakot on Monday.
According to news reports, between 40 and 45 people have died so far in the unrest which first began back in June.
CLASHES TOOK PLACE ON FIRST DAY OF ELECTIONS IN POK
Monday's clashes between JAAC activists and security forces near Rawalakot took place on the day of the first phase of elections to the legislative assembly of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, which consists of 53 seats.
According to a report in the Karachi-based newspaper, Dawn, the elections are being carried out in three phases between July 27 and August 10, and are taking place under a heavy security deployment of at least 18,000 security personnel, which includes police, Rangers and the Pakistan Army.
Phase One, which concluded on Monday, took place in Mirpur Division. The next two phases will be held in Muzaffarabad (August 2) and Poonch Divisions (August 10).
Dawn further reported that two of the country's largest parties, the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), and the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N), are in contention. However, the Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has announced it would boycott the elections as an act of solidarity with Kashmiris in POK protesting Islamabad's policies.
According to BBC Urdu, the Election Commission of Pakistan said polling in POK was largely peaceful, with some violence reported in Mirpur. According to reports, one person, later identified as a PPP worker, died after clashing with PML-N cadres over accusations of vote rigging. While overall voter turnout is yet to be announced, turnout in the Mirpur-1 constituency was reported at 27%.
At least 14 protestors were killed after Pakistani security forces opened fire on a long march in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir on July 27 (Monday), the banned Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) alleged. This came as the illegally occupied region held the first phase of its legislative assembly elections that are taking place amid a heavy security deployment and widespread unrest, reported BBC Urdu.
The violence erupted near the city of Rawalakot, where thousands of supporters and activists of the JAAC attempted to march towards Muzaffarabad, the occupied region's capital, after weeks of protests and demonstrations. While the JAAC claimed in a statement reported by BBC Urdu that 14 of its activists were killed in police firing, authorities in POK disputed the toll, claiming they had not received any evidence to verify the casualties.
According to the BBC Urdu report, the police chief of POK, Captain (retd.) Liaquat Ali Mallik stated that the administration was unable to confirm any casualty claims brought forward by the JAAC, because no bodies had been received by any private or government hospital in the occupied region.
"The claims of 14 deaths by the Joint Action Committee cannot be verified because no bodies have been brought to any government or private hospital and the police do not have any bodies," Malik told BBC Urdu.
He added that two police officers had been injured in clashes between security forces and protestors in clashes on Monday, and that they were undergoing treatment at the Combined Military Hospital in Rawalpindi.
An official within the Rawalakot District Administration told BBC Urdu an officer of the Pakistan Rangers was killed, and several others were injured when Awami Action Committee workers opened fire on law enforcement personnel on Monday evening. The official said protesters also set two Rangers and police vehicles ablaze in Rawalakot.
Authorities in POK and the JAAC have offered sharply conflicting accounts of how the violence unfolded on Monday.
Police and security forces alleged that demonstrators marching towards Muzaffarabad opened fire when trying to force their way into Rawalakot city.
A district official told BBC Urdu that security forces blocked 2,000 protesters approaching the city from the bus terminal and another 3,000 marchers from Dreak, where the JAAC has been camping for over six weeks.
"Wherever protesters open fire, security forces will respond with fire. Tear gas is being used to stop the remaining protesters," the official said. He added that women were among those marching from Dreak, positioned at the rear of the procession.
The JAAC, however, rejected the government's version, insisting that security forces opened fire on what it described as a peaceful march. Abid Shaheen, a member of the JAAC's core committee, alleged that law enforcement personnel fired without provocation as protesters moved from Dreak towards Rawalakot.
"Law enforcement agencies opened fire on participants of the peaceful long march," Shaheen told BBC Urdu, adding that the march "will not stop under any circumstances" until it reaches Muzaffarabad. While Shaheen gave the total number of dead as 14, a post by the JAAC on its social media handle on X claimed that at least 20 people had been killed in the clashes on Monday, adding that it had identified at least 19 of those individuals.
The committee also claimed that the bodies of those killed had been kept at a medical camp near Dreak. However, BBC Urdu said it was unable to independently verify either the casualty figures or the competing claims made by the protesters and authorities.
MEA REACTS TO POK LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS AND VIOLENCE
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday said that the "elections for the so-called Assembly in the illegally occupied region are a cosmetic exercise".
"We have seen reports regarding the so-called legislative assembly elections being conducted in the Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir... The current cosmetic electoral exercise is nothing but an attempt by Pakistan to camouflage its illegal occupation and hide its grave human rights violations in the region," MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Tuesday.
"The ongoing mass protest in Pakistan-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir is the direct consequence of its economic exploitation, its denial of fundamental rights to the people and its administrative oppression," MEA Spokesperson Jaiswal added.
WHY IS THE JAAC PROTESTING IN PAKISTAN-OCCUPIED KASHMIR?
The JAAC has been protesting since June over what it calls an unfair electoral system in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, with its primary demand being the abolition of 12 reserved seats in the 53-member Legislative Assembly allocated to refugees from Kashmir.
The group argues that many of those represented in these seats do not live in POK, denying residents full political representation. It says all assembly seats should be contested only by people residing in the region. The JAAC, even as they have been banned from contesting elections, also called for a boycott of polls, arguing that the electoral process lacks legitimacy unless the issue is addressed.
The latest confrontation followed the collapse of talks between the JAAC and the POK government on July 24. After that, the group announced a long march starting from the city of Rawalakot to the occupied region's capital, Muzaffarabad, which saw thousands gather near Rawalakot on Monday.
According to news reports, between 40 and 45 people have died so far in the unrest which first began back in June.
CLASHES TOOK PLACE ON FIRST DAY OF ELECTIONS IN POK
Monday's clashes between JAAC activists and security forces near Rawalakot took place on the day of the first phase of elections to the legislative assembly of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, which consists of 53 seats.
According to a report in the Karachi-based newspaper, Dawn, the elections are being carried out in three phases between July 27 and August 10, and are taking place under a heavy security deployment of at least 18,000 security personnel, which includes police, Rangers and the Pakistan Army.
Phase One, which concluded on Monday, took place in Mirpur Division. The next two phases will be held in Muzaffarabad (August 2) and Poonch Divisions (August 10).
Dawn further reported that two of the country's largest parties, the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), and the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N), are in contention. However, the Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has announced it would boycott the elections as an act of solidarity with Kashmiris in POK protesting Islamabad's policies.
According to BBC Urdu, the Election Commission of Pakistan said polling in POK was largely peaceful, with some violence reported in Mirpur. According to reports, one person, later identified as a PPP worker, died after clashing with PML-N cadres over accusations of vote rigging. While overall voter turnout is yet to be announced, turnout in the Mirpur-1 constituency was reported at 27%.
At least 14 protestors were killed after Pakistani security forces opened fire on a long march in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir on July 27 (Monday), the banned Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) alleged. This came as the illegally occupied region held the first phase of its legislative assembly elections that are taking place amid a heavy security deployment and widespread unrest, reported BBC Urdu.
The violence erupted near the city of Rawalakot, where thousands of supporters and activists of the JAAC attempted to march towards Muzaffarabad, the occupied region's capital, after weeks of protests and demonstrations. While the JAAC claimed in a statement reported by BBC Urdu that 14 of its activists were killed in police firing, authorities in POK disputed the toll, claiming they had not received any evidence to verify the casualties.
According to the BBC Urdu report, the police chief of POK, Captain (retd.) Liaquat Ali Mallik stated that the administration was unable to confirm any casualty claims brought forward by the JAAC, because no bodies had been received by any private or government hospital in the occupied region.
"The claims of 14 deaths by the Joint Action Committee cannot be verified because no bodies have been brought to any government or private hospital and the police do not have any bodies," Malik told BBC Urdu.
He added that two police officers had been injured in clashes between security forces and protestors in clashes on Monday, and that they were undergoing treatment at the Combined Military Hospital in Rawalpindi.
An official within the Rawalakot District Administration told BBC Urdu an officer of the Pakistan Rangers was killed, and several others were injured when Awami Action Committee workers opened fire on law enforcement personnel on Monday evening. The official said protesters also set two Rangers and police vehicles ablaze in Rawalakot.
Authorities in POK and the JAAC have offered sharply conflicting accounts of how the violence unfolded on Monday.
Police and security forces alleged that demonstrators marching towards Muzaffarabad opened fire when trying to force their way into Rawalakot city.
A district official told BBC Urdu that security forces blocked 2,000 protesters approaching the city from the bus terminal and another 3,000 marchers from Dreak, where the JAAC has been camping for over six weeks.
"Wherever protesters open fire, security forces will respond with fire. Tear gas is being used to stop the remaining protesters," the official said. He added that women were among those marching from Dreak, positioned at the rear of the procession.
The JAAC, however, rejected the government's version, insisting that security forces opened fire on what it described as a peaceful march. Abid Shaheen, a member of the JAAC's core committee, alleged that law enforcement personnel fired without provocation as protesters moved from Dreak towards Rawalakot.
"Law enforcement agencies opened fire on participants of the peaceful long march," Shaheen told BBC Urdu, adding that the march "will not stop under any circumstances" until it reaches Muzaffarabad. While Shaheen gave the total number of dead as 14, a post by the JAAC on its social media handle on X claimed that at least 20 people had been killed in the clashes on Monday, adding that it had identified at least 19 of those individuals.
The committee also claimed that the bodies of those killed had been kept at a medical camp near Dreak. However, BBC Urdu said it was unable to independently verify either the casualty figures or the competing claims made by the protesters and authorities.
MEA REACTS TO POK LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS AND VIOLENCE
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday said that the "elections for the so-called Assembly in the illegally occupied region are a cosmetic exercise".
"We have seen reports regarding the so-called legislative assembly elections being conducted in the Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir... The current cosmetic electoral exercise is nothing but an attempt by Pakistan to camouflage its illegal occupation and hide its grave human rights violations in the region," MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Tuesday.
"The ongoing mass protest in Pakistan-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir is the direct consequence of its economic exploitation, its denial of fundamental rights to the people and its administrative oppression," MEA Spokesperson Jaiswal added.
WHY IS THE JAAC PROTESTING IN PAKISTAN-OCCUPIED KASHMIR?
The JAAC has been protesting since June over what it calls an unfair electoral system in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, with its primary demand being the abolition of 12 reserved seats in the 53-member Legislative Assembly allocated to refugees from Kashmir.
The group argues that many of those represented in these seats do not live in POK, denying residents full political representation. It says all assembly seats should be contested only by people residing in the region. The JAAC, even as they have been banned from contesting elections, also called for a boycott of polls, arguing that the electoral process lacks legitimacy unless the issue is addressed.
The latest confrontation followed the collapse of talks between the JAAC and the POK government on July 24. After that, the group announced a long march starting from the city of Rawalakot to the occupied region's capital, Muzaffarabad, which saw thousands gather near Rawalakot on Monday.
According to news reports, between 40 and 45 people have died so far in the unrest which first began back in June.
CLASHES TOOK PLACE ON FIRST DAY OF ELECTIONS IN POK
Monday's clashes between JAAC activists and security forces near Rawalakot took place on the day of the first phase of elections to the legislative assembly of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, which consists of 53 seats.
According to a report in the Karachi-based newspaper, Dawn, the elections are being carried out in three phases between July 27 and August 10, and are taking place under a heavy security deployment of at least 18,000 security personnel, which includes police, Rangers and the Pakistan Army.
Phase One, which concluded on Monday, took place in Mirpur Division. The next two phases will be held in Muzaffarabad (August 2) and Poonch Divisions (August 10).
Dawn further reported that two of the country's largest parties, the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), and the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N), are in contention. However, the Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has announced it would boycott the elections as an act of solidarity with Kashmiris in POK protesting Islamabad's policies.
According to BBC Urdu, the Election Commission of Pakistan said polling in POK was largely peaceful, with some violence reported in Mirpur. According to reports, one person, later identified as a PPP worker, died after clashing with PML-N cadres over accusations of vote rigging. While overall voter turnout is yet to be announced, turnout in the Mirpur-1 constituency was reported at 27%.
