Three killed, dozens injured as violent protests rock Pakistan-Occupied Jammu & Kashmir

    30-Sep-2025
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PoJK
 
 
Three people were killed and more than a dozen injured as security forces opened fire on protesters during violent demonstrations in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) on Monday, as widespread unrest and a complete shutdown paralysed normal life, local reports said.
 
 
The demonstrations were called by the Public Action Committee (PAC) - also known as the Joint Awami Action Committee, which has issued a 38-point charter of demands. Among these are calls to end the 12 seats reserved for Kashmiri refugees living in Pakistan in the PoJK Assembly and to roll back privileges enjoyed by elites, Samaa TV reported.
 
 
Shops and businesses remained shut, and transport services were halted following a “shutter-down and wheel-jam” strike. Protests spread to major towns including Muzaffarabad, Mirpur and Kotli, with thousands of people taking to the streets to demand their rights.
 
 
Pakistani authorities responded with heavy security deployments. Large convoys of armed police and paramilitary forces held flag marches in almost all district headquarters, while checkpoints and surveillance were tightened at city entry and exit points, according to Dawn.
 
 
From Muzaffarabad, PAC president Shaukat Nawaz Mir accused state institutions of using force to crush the movement. “At this moment, the state has come to kill the people. The government and its institutions are targeting protesters and our media is spreading false news,” he alleged.
 
 
The protests are being described by local observers as one of the most intense waves of public anger in PoJK in recent years.