Muzaffarabad, AJK – Oct 1, 2025 – What began as a peaceful demonstration for economic relief and political reforms has spiraled into a humanitarian catastrophe in Pakistan-administered Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). Over the past three days, violence started against peaceful protesters, surprise political analyst by using federal paramilitary forces in spite as per eye witnesses that police of Azad Jammu and Kashmir refuse to fire upon peaceful protesters which have claimed at least 10 lives, with reports of up to eight more deaths today alone, leaving hundred injured and hospitals struggling to cope but many transported to Islamabad PIMS Hospital where declared emergency amid a near-total communications blackout.
The unrest, led by the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC), erupted last weekend over long-standing grievances including skyrocketing prices for wheat flour and electricity, elite privileges for officials, and the allocation of 12 assembly seats reserved for Pakistan-based refugees on behalf of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir yet Pakistan bifurcated the territory into AJK and GB providing example to India to follow its foot steps.
Protesters, including traders, students, and civil society groups, have staged shutter-down strikes and wheel-jams across all towns and cities in AJK such as Muzaffarabad, Dhir Kot, Bag, Rawalakot, Thorar, Khai Gala, Hajeera, Abbaspure, Haveli, Pallandri, Trar Khel, Kotli, Fatehpur Khuiratta, Charhoi, Chaksawri, Dadyal, Samahni, Bhimber and Mirpur, paralyzing daily life.
Eyewitness accounts and emerging videos paint a grim picture of the violence by the forces imported from Pakistan. On Monday, at least one protester was killed and over a dozen others—including a policeman—were injured near Neelum Bridge in Muzaffarabad after a "peace rally" organized by Army sponsored Muslim Conference leader Raja Saqib Majeed and his relatives fired upon unprovoked JKJAAC demonstrators.
The situation escalated dramatically when police reportedly opened fire on the crowd, resulting in two deaths and more than 22 injuries, according to local reports. JKJAAC leaders, including central figure Shaukat Nawaz Mir, accused Pakistani Rangers—a paramilitary force under federal control—of the shootings, claiming they targeted unarmed civilians demanding basic rights.
Harrowing footage circulating on social media and independent channels shows what appears to be Frontier Corps (FC) personnel—another federal paramilitary unit—firing indiscriminately into a procession of chanting demonstrators.
Journalist Abid Andleeb, in a widely shared YouTube video uploaded late Tuesday, documented the chaos: crowds of families and youth marching with banners calling for "justice and subsidies," only to scatter under bursts of gunfire. Andleeb's footage captures FC troops advancing on the procession, with local AJK police officers visibly attempting to intervene, shouting orders to stand down.
In a shocking escalation, the video alleges that FC forces turned their weapons on the Kashmiri officers, wounding several and forcing them to retreat. "These are our own people—peaceful Kashmiris—being slaughtered by Islamabad's enforcers," Andleeb narrates over clips of bloodied streets and wailing relatives. He reports "dozens killed, hundreds injured," with emergency wards in Muzaffarabad's key hospitals like the Combined Military Hospital overflowing; stretchers line corridors, and patients are treated on floors due to lack of beds.
By Wednesday, the death toll had climbed sharply. Four fatalities were reported in Dhirkot, Bagh district, from heavy shelling by Pakistani security forces, including Army units, while two more died in Muzaffarabad and two in Mirpur—bringing the three-day total to 10 confirmed, though activist groups claim higher figures amid the information void. Protesters hurled stones and toppled shipping containers blocking bridges into rivers to clear paths for marches toward the capital, only to face tear gas, baton charges, and live rounds. "Hospitals are filled to bursting—no space left, even for the dying," said one anonymous medic via smuggled messages, echoing Andleeb's on-the-ground dispatches.
Compounding the horror is a draconian communications clampdown imposed since Sunday noon, suspending mobile, internet, and even landline services across AJK—potentially extending until mid-week.
The blackout has severed families, hindered medical aid coordination, and fueled accusations of a deliberate cover-up. Prominent Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir, host of Geo News' Capital Talk, took to X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday to demand answers: "Why has AJK communication been jammed? Who ordered this blackout to silence the voices of our Kashmiri brothers? This isn't security—it's suppression." Mir's post, viewed over 500,000 times, has amplified global scrutiny, drawing parallels to past crackdowns and urging Army Chief Gen. Asim Munir to intervene before the situation mirrors the May 9, 2023, riots.
The JKJAAC, undeterred, vows to press on with a mass march to Muzaffarabad today, dismissing recent government offers of subsidies as "too little, too late." Talks with federal and AJK officials collapsed over constitutional hurdles, including reforms to reserved seats and official perks, which require amendments beyond the prime minister's unilateral purview. Overseas Kashmiris have rallied in solidarity, with protests outside Pakistani embassy in London and consulates in Birmingham and Bradford calling for international observers.
As night falls on a region under curfew, with flag marches by security forces echoing through deserted streets, the air is thick with grief and defiance. AJK Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwar ul Haq has reiterated calls for dialogue, but protesters like Shaukat Nawaz Mir retort: "We have full evidence of who fired on the peaceful—it's time for accountability, not more broken promises." With tensions boiling and the blackout persisting, fears mount of further bloodshed unless Islamabad relents. The world watches, but in Muzaffarabad, the cries for azadi—for true autonomy—grow louder amid the gunfire.
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