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The unrest, spearheaded by the Joint Awami Action Committee, has been a months-long movement for basic fundamental rights, affordable electricity, jobs, and political autonomy
Tensions reached a boiling point during the late-night operation when security forces moved against the demonstration. (Image: News18/video grab)
A midnight crackdown by security forces against unarmed demonstrators in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir’s Rawalakot reportedly resulted in several civilian deaths and widespread arrests late on Thursday (November 5).
The unrest in Rawalakot has been spearheaded by the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) as part of a sustained, months-long movement demanding basic fundamental rights, affordable electricity, increased employment opportunities, greater political representation, and political autonomy.
Tensions reached a boiling point during the late-night operation when security forces moved against the demonstration. Activists and local reports indicated that security forces deployed heavy weaponry, including light machine guns (LMGs) and drones, around protest sit-ins.
According to eyewitnesses, gunfire continued for hours. In an emergency dispatch from the confrontation site, a social media influencer reported that multiple protesters had sustained bullet wounds after forces opened fire, stating that firing persisted for two to three hours.
The crackdown has been widely condemned. Sardar Aman Khan, a core member of the JAAC, strongly denounced the operation accusing Pakistani forces of carrying out atrocities against civilians following Fajr prayers.
Khan claimed that more than 117 people had been martyred over the course of the five-month agitation, alleging that prohibited weapons and surveillance drones were unleashed against peaceful assemblies. Political leader Sardar Umar Nazeer Kashmiri accused authorities of mass killings, remarking that “nearly 100 young people were martyred” and declaring that top officials, including “Asim Munir and Shehbaz Sharif, will have to answer” for the bloodshed.
In defiance of the curfew and force, residents from across Poonch flooded into Rawalakot, with crowds ranging from children to the elderly taking to the streets to protest against state forces.
Human rights organisations have voiced deep alarm over the escalating state violence and institutional overreach. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) expressed grave concern regarding allegations of lethal and excessive force against unarmed protesters. It criticised the misuse of anti-terrorism laws to suppress political dissent, highlighting that at least 147 JAAC activists had been placed on the Fourth Schedule.
The HRCP said arbitrary detentions of political activists and journalists, combined with pressure exerted on the press, have severely curtailed civic freedoms and narrowed civic space across the region.
In response to the state brutality, gunfire, and drone operations, the JAAC has called for a complete, region-wide shutdown across the occupied territory. The general strike – spanning from Bhimber to Taobat – has brought commercial activity to a standstill, shuttering markets, businesses, and transport networks in solidarity with the victims in Rawalakot as local leaders appeal for urgent international attention.
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Ask News18The midnight crackdown was launched against unarmed demonstrators participating in a sustained movement spearheaded by the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir’s Rawalakot on Thursday, November 5, 2026. The protesters were demanding basic fundamental rights, affordable electricity, increased employment, greater political representation, and political autonomy.
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Group Editor, Investigations and Security Affairs, Network18
November 08, 2026, 02:06 IST
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