Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) saw a fresh wave of violence on Thursday, as security forces allegedly opened fire on women protesters marching through Kotli — the latest flashpoint in a crackdown that protest leaders say has killed more than 40 people in four days.
Videos circulating on social media on Thursday showed women running for cover at Kotli’s Abshar Chowk as gunfire rang out. The women had gathered to back the wider protest movement and to condemn earlier firing on demonstrators in Rawalakot and Mirpur. One clip, which has gone viral, appears to show a man firing during the unrest; the footage has not been independently verified, and Pakistani authorities have not responded in detail to the specific claims.
The casualty figures could not be independently verified. The Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), which is leading the protests, says more than 100 people have been killed since the movement began on June 5 — some activists put the toll even higher. Pakistan denies any civilian deaths and disputes the numbers. Its police chief in PoJK has said the casualties cannot be confirmed, and accused protesters of opening fire first while trying to force their way into Rawalakot. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has defended the security operation.
The unrest is now in its eighth week. The JAAC, a coalition of local activist groups, began the agitation on June 5 over long-standing grievances: high electricity and flour prices, the privileges of the ruling elite, and the release of jailed activists. A central demand concerns the assembly’s reserved seats, which protesters say Pakistan’s establishment manipulates to install a prime minister of its choosing.
Anger deepened after the arrest of JAAC leader Shaukat Nawaz Mir, and again on Monday, when 14 people were reportedly killed as thousands tried to march from Rawalakot towards the regional capital, Muzaffarabad. Among the dead, protesters said, was the younger brother of the movement’s founder.
Elections in the shadow of gunfire
The crackdown coincides with regional elections to the so-called PoJK Legislative Assembly, being held in three phases. In the first phase, in the Mirpur division, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) won nine of 13 seats. Voting was marred by violence and rigging allegations from Kotli, where a PPP worker was reportedly killed. Polling in Sudhnoti and Rawalakot has been pushed back to August 10 because of the protests.
London joins in with “Azadi” slogans
The protests have spread abroad. On Thursday, Kashmiris in Britain marched from Hyde Park to the Pakistan High Commission in London, raising “Azadi” slogans against the Pakistani government and its armed forces. It followed an even larger diaspora march earlier this month.
India’s response
India has rejected the elections outright. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal called them a “cosmetic electoral exercise” meant to legitimise Pakistan’s illegal occupation and distract from human rights violations. He reiterated that Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh — including the areas under Pakistan’s “illegal and forcible occupation” — are an integral part of India, and said the unrest reflects decades of economic exploitation, denial of rights and administrative repression by Islamabad.