At least thirty civilians have reportedly been killed in Rawalakot and Mirpur over the past two days, as public opposition intensifies against the ongoing legislative assembly elections in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
The protests are being driven by the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), which continues to demand the removal of 12 legislative seats currently set aside for refugees. The movement, which has called for a complete boycott of the electoral process, has been actively mobilizing across the region since last month.
According to the JAAC, Pakistani security forces opened fire on thousands of peaceful demonstrators and subsequently seized the bodies from local medical facilities in an effort to cover up the violence. Independent verification of these claims has been hindered by a continuing internet blackout across the territory.
The unrest follows a long march organized by the JAAC in June to Muzaffarabad, the regional capital, where they pressed for electoral reforms ahead of the polling for 53 constituencies. The elections, being held in three stages starting July 27, are scheduled to conclude by August 10.
The first phase on Monday was already overshadowed by violence, with preliminary results showing the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) leading in Mirpur, the Pakistan Peoples Party trailing in second, while the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf is sitting out the vote. Additionally, JAAC members were barred from running as independent candidates.
S.A. Khan, a spokesperson for the committee, specifically accused the military of firing on unarmed protesters in Mirpur on Tuesday and then attempting to erase the evidence by locking down the hospital and confiscating the deceased. He noted that photographic and video evidence of the bloodshed exists.
In response to the escalating crisis, Pakistani ministers have labeled the protesters “India-sponsored,” a characterization firmly rejected by JAAC leaders. The movement, which has previously turned deadly in 2024 and 2025, is currently experiencing what appears to be its bloodiest episode since the JAAC was established in 2023.
Amid the ground-level violence, Pakistani political factions are also exchanging sharp criticism over governance and the electoral process. Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz celebrated her party’s “outstanding victory” in the initial phase, dismissing PPP’s allegations of rigging. She urged the opposition to accept the outcome, arguing that voters, not the state, determine mandates, while criticizing the PPP’s performance in both Pakistan-administered Kashmir and Sindh. Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal echoed these remarks, calling the PPP’s rigging claims “undemocratic.”
Conversely, senior Sindh Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon fired back, accusing the PML(N) of securing a “fake mandate” through election manipulation, pointing to widespread violence and the alleged misuse of state machinery in an attempt to steal the popular will.
