MUZAFFARABAD: At least four policemen were martyred and more than 20 others injured after violent clashes broke out between law enforcement personnel and supporters of the recently proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) in Rawalakot on Sunday, according to police officials.
In a statement issued late Sunday night, the office of AJK Inspector General of Police Liaqat Ali Malik said the four police personnel were martyred when demonstrators allegedly attacked the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Rawalakot. Authorities stated that the officers were killed by gunfire and shotgun pellets, describing the incident as an act of terrorism and pledging that no compromise would be made on public safety and law and order.
Officials also confirmed that at least two protesters lost their lives during the unrest, while dozens of people sustained injuries. However, local residents fear the death toll may be higher. The exact situation remains unclear as mobile data services across Azad Jammu and Kashmir have been suspended, restricting the flow of information.
The tensions stemmed from the death of a local trader who was allegedly shot during a confrontation with law enforcement personnel on Friday night. Although his family initially planned to hold his funeral on Saturday, they later decided to return his body to CMH Rawalakot for a post-mortem examination and postponed the funeral until Sunday.
The body was placed in the hospital mortuary, but no post-mortem examination was conducted. Meanwhile, a large number of people continued a sit-in outside the hospital, demanding justice and protesting government actions.
According to eyewitnesses, the situation escalated when police arrived to disperse the demonstrators gathered outside the health facility. A heated confrontation followed between officers and protesters.
Riot police subsequently launched a baton charge and fired tear gas shells in an attempt to clear the area. Protesters responded by pelting stones at the police, although no injuries were reported from the stone-throwing incident.
The deceased trader’s family announced they would refuse to bury him until the government withdrew a Home Department notification that declared JAAC a banned organisation. According to sources, a family member said they would not proceed with the burial while their son continued to be labelled a terrorist.
A senior administrative official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the ongoing sit-in outside CMH was causing significant difficulties for patients, their attendants and commuters. He added that authorities had repeatedly requested protesters to disperse peacefully, but the appeals went unanswered.
The protest remained underway at the time this report was filed, with demonstrators continuing to occupy the area around the hospital.
AJK Supreme Court Issues Advisory Opinion
Separately, the AJK Supreme Court has issued an advisory opinion on a presidential reference submitted by AJK President Chaudhry Latif Akbar regarding the JAAC’s demand to abolish 12 refugee seats in the Legislative Assembly ahead of the July 27 elections.
The 12 reserved seats represent refugees from Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir who migrated to Pakistan after 1947. JAAC has argued that mainstream Pakistani political parties have frequently used these seats to influence government formation in Muzaffarabad.
The presidential reference sought the court’s opinion on five constitutional questions, including the legal status of the refugee seats, the assembly’s authority to introduce constitutional amendments at the current stage, the constitutional limits on freedom of assembly and association, and the state’s responsibility to safeguard the electoral process against extra-constitutional demands.
In the advisory opinion dated June 6, AJK Chief Justice Raja Saeed Akram Khan stated that the Constitution of Azad Jammu and Kashmir is the supreme law of the state and belongs to all people of AJK as well as the broader Kashmiri community.
The court observed that constitutional amendments cannot be extracted from governments through pressure or coercion. It stressed that any amendment must follow the constitutional process, requiring approval by a fully mandated assembly after proper deliberation, consultation and consensus-building.
The court’s opinion came one day after the AJK government officially banned JAAC, just days before the group’s planned protest scheduled for June 9. The latest JAAC protest campaign has largely focused on its demand to abolish the 12 refugee seats in the Legislative Assembly.
In addition to constitutional reforms, JAAC has also been campaigning for economic relief measures, including lower electricity prices and free healthcare services.
Responding to the group’s claims, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said on Sunday that the government had already fulfilled most of JAAC’s demands.
Addressing a press conference, he rejected allegations that authorities had ignored the group’s concerns, stating that 35 out of JAAC’s 38 demands had already been addressed.