Pakistani forces open fire on protest rally as massive anti-Islamabad uprising grips PoJK
Leading a widespread agitation against administrative failures, the human rights group directly challenged the violent crackdown in Islamabad and demanded the immediate release of unlawfully detained leaders and activists.
According to JAAC, in a major escalation of the ongoing civil unrest against Pakistrule, a large public gathering of around 40,000 people comprising children, women, elderly and youth took to the streets at the Sardar Ghulam Hussain Khan Sports Stadium in Abbaspor.
The peaceful demonstration for fundamental rights quickly turned into a mass public rally that directly challenged the rigid rule of the Pakistani establishment.
Exposing the violent tactics used by the Pakistani security apparatus to suppress this peaceful dissent, JAAC reported that forces opened unprovoked fire and intense shelling on a civilian gathering at the AMB location in Dudial.
The state’s brutal response resulted in several serious injuries and many peaceful demonstrators were reported to be in critical condition.
Despite these violent repressions, the resistance movement continues to grow in the occupied territories. Large convoys of citizens, including children, women and the elderly, constantly arrive from various regions for the massive protest sit-in at Dera Ismail Khan, where a huge crowd chants revolutionary slogans against state oppression.
Further highlighting the movement’s expanding demographic reach, JAAC noted that Rawalakot and Chak’s daughters were actively leading peaceful street protests for their fundamental rights in complete defiance of the intimidation tactics of the Pakistani authorities.
Anti-Pakistan public anger also triggered a major international backlash against Islamabad. Responding to the call of the Jammu Kashmir Joint People’s Action Committee, the Kashmiri diaspora held a full-fledged demonstration in Auckland, New Zealand.
According to the civil rights coalition, overseas protesters strongly condemned the high-profile arrest of core committee member Shaukat Nawaz Mir, demanding his immediate release along with all other arbitrarily detained activists and chanting “Long Live Kashmir” and “Long Live the People” against the ongoing systemic oppression.
The widespread nature of this regional anger comes in the direct wake of the high-profile arrest of Shaukat Nawaz Mir; This resulted in a massive increase in tensions in the occupied territories and prompted a severe ultimatum from the JAAC.
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Video footage of Sardar Aman Khan, a core member of the Jammu Kashmir JAAC, went viral on social media, revealing the acute famines, systemic atrocities and desperate humanitarian crisis fueling this uprising under Pakistani rule.
Addressing the excited crowd in a widely shared and untimed clip, Khan openly pleaded: “We appeal to the people in Mendhar, Poonch, Rajouri, Doda… the people there. There is a shortage of supplies on this side, there is a shortage of medicines and we need your help. We need your help.”
Revealing the local people’s desperation to escape Pakistani control, the JAAC leader called for an end to the borders and reached across the border, saying: “We want the end of the ceasefire line and we need your support. My appeal to the people, to the people on the other side, is for them to come forward. And as I said, the roads… if we keep the door open for political dialogue…”
Khan harshly criticized the repressive attitude of Pakistani authorities, who routinely use brute force to suppress civil rights movements in the occupied territories, and warned that the local population would no longer bow to Islamabad’s threats.
He said to the cheering crowd, “If we kept the road open and if anyone hears our ‘weak knees’ and thinks we are stuck somewhere, they are wrong. No one fell into the trap. God willing, we will show you the roads. From now on, you will see all the roads, and we will show you, insha’Allah. From now on, we will show you the way and where the roads are.”
In another viral video, Khan directly challenged the security apparatus, asking a group of protesters: “Should we step forward towards the ceasefire line or not? Tell me out loud, should we step forward or not?” The crowd loudly chanted “Yes!” he roared.
Addressing journalists and commentators, Khan said: “Writers, write this! See this! And people, tell me louder, should we step towards the ceasefire line or not?” another thunderous “Yes!” from the public.
In a clear warning to the Pakistani regime over its violent crackdown on peaceful dissent, JAAC’s core member made clear that the region was ready to retaliate against state-sponsored tyranny.
“So we tell them that given the Kashmiri spirit and political stance, if the answer is bullets, then we have options too. Don’t complain tomorrow, don’t express regret because you feel bad,” Khan said.
Concluding his impassioned speech, Khan revealed the oppressive reality of living under Pakistani rule and declared that the local population would comply with Pakistan’s tyrannical measures as a measure.
“We are not human beings according to your temperament. If you give loyalty, we give loyalty, if you do cruelty, we commit oppression. We are human beings like you. Whatever you do, God willing, we will do the same. There is nothing else to say. Well, friends, with that said, overseas Kashmiris…”
In a separate video message released yesterday, Khan further detailed the broader regional dimensions of the civil movement that continues under the current administrative overreach.
In his video message, Khan said, “Through this message, I appeal to the people of Kashmir Valley, especially the people of Srinagar, the people of Baramulla and all the surrounding districts. The people of Poonch and the people of Mendhar. We appeal to the people of Rajouri, Jammu, Ladakh, Kargil, Gilgit-Baltistan and the people of the entire state.”
“As you all know, it has been almost a month since Kashmir (PoJK) was under such influence and pressure. The cruelty, injustice, massacre and military attacks against the people here to demand their basic rights have reached their peak.”
“In this extremely difficult phase, our food supply routes are closed, our medicine routes are closed. Even during the breathing action, the administrators and forces here are so angry that they even question why the people here are breathing.”
“In this difficult time, we appeal to all people, those across the border, especially the people of Poonch, Mendhar, Rajouri, Jammu, Valley, Ladakh and Kargil. We held a protest on July 5 and we need support from all of you. Of course, you should come forward, speak for our rights and raise your voice against this cruelty and injustice,” he said.
To structurally manage the transformation of popular anger into unprecedented popular participation against Pakistani rule, JAAC issued a massive call for peaceful demonstrations across the region, aiming to bring together half a million participants to demand basic rights.
Using its official identity in Sudhanoti: 316,456; Mirpur: 439,929;
JAAC also noted “Total Estimated Population: 4,388,875 (approximately 4.39 million),” noting the collective strength of the heavily policed and disenfranchised local population.
Providing detailed statistics for a serious show of power, the committee said, “If at least 50,000 people emerge from each of these 10 districts on July 5, 2026, the total number may reach 500,000 people.”
Emphasizing the strategic commitment to non-violence in the face of routinely brutal state responses to dissent, JAAC mobilized public opinion by saying, “Come out peacefully for your rights. Hold the white flag, demonstrate discipline and keep the peace.”
The civil rights coalition stated that this massive, peaceful demonstration of unity was designed to bypass harsh censorship in PoJK and directly attract the attention of the global community to isolate the Pakistani regime’s repressive tactics.
“Send the message to the world that we are simply demanding our rights and that our protest is completely peaceful,” JAAC said, pointing to a concerted effort to create an undeniable international incident. he said.
This planned mobilization is a response to a series of harsh actions by the Pakistani authorities. On June 30, JAAC harshly criticized Islamabad after it was reported that a political delegation led by opposition leaders was stopped from entering PoJK, describing the move as further evidence of the state’s suppression of democratic rights and political dissent.
Activists say Pakistani forces are already using drones to monitor public sit-ins, and local leaders have called for a complete boycott of local elections scheduled for July 27.
Prominent PoJK activist Amjad Ayub Mirza expressed serious concerns about the rising tensions, stating that the day normally used by Islamabad to falsely project regional solidarity has turned into a platform for completely global dissent.
“The situation in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir is getting worse with each passing hour. Following the arrest of Joint Awami Action Committee leader Shaukat Nawaz Mir, more than 600 workers and activists of the committee have been arrested so far…”
Mirza said, “…July 5, which is usually observed or observed as Kashmir Solidarity Day on behalf of the people of Kashmir Valley, is now celebrated against Pakistan. Not only in PoJK, there are thousands of people who will come to London on July 5 and protest the atrocities committed by Pakistan in Pakistan-occupied J&K.” he said.
This domestic public outcry coincides with the fierce global backlash against Islamabad’s handling of domestic dissent. On July 2, India’s National Counter-Terrorism Front staged a violent protest outside the United Nations office, demanding urgent global intervention against the escalating humanitarian crisis, reported killings, and systemic rights violations.
Simultaneously, global watchdog group Amnesty International strongly condemned Pakistan’s heavy-handed tactics ahead of upcoming regional elections.
Amnesty International accused the authorities of using violent measures to suppress peaceful political dissent and violate fundamental human rights and unlawfully designated the Jammu and Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) as a “prohibited organisation”.
Amnesty International strongly criticized the ban on the civil rights coalition, calling it a disproportionate attack on freedom of association and peaceful political activism, as international pressure against Islamabad continues to mount.
Meanwhile, protests highlighting the state’s violent repression have also surfaced internationally.
During a cultural event in Bradford, England, attended by Pakistan’s Consul General in Bradford, Zahid Ahmed Khan, political activist Mahmood Kashmiri from Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) harshly criticized Pakistan for human rights violations in the region.
He interrupted the event and raised his voice against the Pakistan Army, demanding that it leave PoJK and end what he called oppression in the region.
