Rawalakot

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) forecasts widespread monsoon rains, thunderstorms, and windstorms across multiple regions of Pakistan from July 18 to July 25, with warnings of potential damage from strong winds, lightning, and flash floods in mountainous and hilly areas.

Azad Kashmir has experienced violent protests since June led by the proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), resulting in approximately 30 deaths. The JAAC's demand to abolish refugee seats in the AJK legislature has caused a deadlock, while political actors propose negotiations to restore calm ahead of regional polls.

The Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) postponed its planned long march on Muzaffarabad for a week following back-channel negotiations involving intermediaries like Overseas Pakistanis Foundation Chairman Syed Qamar Raza and Chaudhry Zafar Anwar. Talks aimed at resolving the standoff reportedly reached broad agreement, with remaining issues to be finalized, while no violence was reported in Poonch and Sudhnoti.

The AJK government announced a clearance operation to remove obstacles placed by the banned Jammu and Kashmir Awami Action Committee (JAAC) at entry and exit points, warning of strict action against blackmailers. A violent clash in Rawalakot resulted in a police officer's death, with JAAC members using modern weapons and explosives. The government cited economic losses from disruptions and emphasized restoring normalcy in business, education, and transport.

One person was killed and several injured in clashes between protesters and law enforcement in Poonch, Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The incident occurred along a road connecting Arja and Rawalakot, where activists blocked the route and allegedly assaulted a traders’ leader. The clashes followed disputes over road blockades and a recent attack on Nasir Arbab, a traders’ leader.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) predicted rain, windstorms, and thundershowers in upper regions from Friday night to Monday, affecting areas like Neelum Valley, Muzaffarabad, and Dir. Similar conditions are expected in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, and other cities, with warnings of landslides, urban flooding, and structural damage.

The Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) announced a July 14 deadline for the acceptance of its demands, threatening to resume a march on Muzaffarabad if unmet. Two people were killed near Rawalakot during clashes between law enforcement and JAAC activists blocking a food convoy.

Government officials in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) have dismissed rumors of long marches by the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), confirming smaller demonstrations at protest sites. The Poonch administration recommended disciplinary action against 70+ officials for participating in sit-ins, while the AJK police denied claims of attacking protesters.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reviewed the law and order situation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) after month-long protests by the proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC). The intensity of protests has subsided, with ongoing demonstrations in Rawalakot and calm in Muzaffarabad. The PM emphasized prioritizing public service and resolving issues.

Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) listed 147 activists and supporters of the proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) on the Fourth Schedule of the Anti-Terrorism Act. A standoff between JAAC protesters and law enforcement in Rawalakot continued, with a region-wide strike entering its 11th day and disrupting daily life in Poonch and Muzaffarabad divisions.

The JAAC protest in Rawalakot has visibly decreased, with most participants leaving, while a shutter-down strike continues across Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) for seven days. Authorities eased curfew restrictions in parts of Rawalakot but internet outages disrupted banking, and mobile vendors began operating in some areas. The AJK Legislative Assembly is set to meet to discuss employee regularization and other resolutions.

The PPP urges protesters in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) to end demonstrations, citing harm to Pakistan’s international reputation and the Kashmir cause. The party’s AJK wing calls for withdrawing the election schedule amid clashes that killed two people in Rawalakot, while the PML-N insists on proceeding with elections. Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari emphasizes resolving grievances through democratic means and highlights a pending US-Iran peace agreement mediated by Pakistan.

Partial strikes and sit-ins by the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) continue in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), with authorities seizing businesses and conducting raids. An internet outage affecting students and freelancers enters its eighth day, and former AJK president Sardar Yaqoob Khan urges the committee to end the agitation unconditionally.

Thousands of Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) activists regrouped at protest sites in Rawalakot after dispersing overnight, despite official claims of the campaign's collapse. Officials reported initial dispersal under safety assurances, but protesters returned in large numbers by afternoon, vowing to continue demonstrations.

Protesters from the proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) in Poonch district dispersed after midnight following fears of a major crackdown by authorities. The dispersal occurred amid a planned operation involving 1,000 law enforcement personnel and armored vehicles, triggered by tensions over JAAC's demand to abolish 12 refugee-reserved Legislative Assembly seats.

Azad Jammu and Kashmir observed a third consecutive day of shutdown as clashes between protesters and law enforcement resulted in one death and four injuries. The protest, organized by the proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), involved thousands of participants from multiple districts. A JAAC member delivered a provocative speech demanding government concessions, including the withdrawal of legal notifications against the group and the lifting of curfews.

A strike called by the banned Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) disrupted business and transport in Pakistan-administered Kashmir following clashes between the group's supporters and security forces that killed seven people. The strike followed a court ruling protecting 12 legislative seats for Kashmiri refugees in Pakistan, which the JAAC opposes, and authorities have deployed security forces and suspended internet access to curb the protest.

At least seven civilians and four police personnel were killed during clashes between police and Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) protesters in Rawalakot, Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The violence followed the death of a trader shot by law enforcers and escalated after JAAC was proscribed by the regional government. Thirty protesters were arrested, and tensions persist over demands to abolish 12 refugee seats in the AJK Legislative Assembly.

The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government launched a crackdown on the proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), arresting 72 individuals and recovering weapons and suspicious documents. Tensions escalated in Poonch after a trader, Shahzeb Habib, was killed during a clash with police, which JAAC-linked Umar Nazir Kashmiri was reportedly involved in.