RAWALAKOT: Clashes between police and protesters erupted in Rawalakot, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, on Thursday morning as law enforcement agencies launched an operation to clear a five-month-long sit-in, leaving several people reportedly injured.
The confrontation took place near Matialmira Bus Terminal, where police personnel were attempting to remove barricades blocking roads. According to a press release issued by Azad Kashmir Police, armed individuals opened fire on police during the operation, prompting a security response.
The police confirmed receiving reports of injuries among security personnel and individuals on the other side. However, no official figures have yet been released regarding the number of injured.
Meanwhile, social media accounts associated with the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), which has been declared a proscribed organisation by the AJK government, also claimed that several protesters were injured during the operation.
The confrontation marks a major escalation in the five-month-long standoff between the AJK government and the Action Committee.
The sit-in in Rawalakot has been ongoing since 6 June. It was initially established at Eidgah Ground, where a long march that began in Bhimber on 9 June had also halted. After passing through different stages, the protest was subsequently shifted to Umar Farooq Chowk inside the city.
The protesters have been demanding implementation of an earlier agreement reached between the government and the Action Committee, alongside several political, administrative and public demands. Their demands also include the release of arrested individuals, impartial investigations into deaths during the protests and accountability for those responsible.
Thursday’s clashes came a day after law enforcement agencies conducted a similar clearance operation in the Kothian area of Bagh district to end another sit-in organised by the Action Committee. According to the administration, protesters dispersed following the operation, allowing major highways to reopen to traffic.
The prolonged protest in Rawalakot has severely disrupted commercial activities and daily life in the city. Businesses had remained closed for nearly five months, although some commercial centres reportedly began reopening in recent days.
The AJK government has maintained that prolonged road closures and sit-ins are affecting ordinary citizens, educational activities and patients’ access to hospitals.
The clashes have renewed concerns over the handling of the prolonged political standoff and the prospects for a negotiated settlement.
In a fact-finding report published in August 2026, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) documented conflicting accounts from different parties regarding violence during the protests, fatalities and the role of security forces.
The commission recommended impartial investigations into all deaths and injuries and urged political negotiations to resolve the dispute.
With the latest confrontation between police and protesters, the situation in Rawalakot has entered another tense phase, raising questions about the implementation of the government-Action Committee agreement and the possibility of resolving the dispute through dialogue.
