Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) has been gripped by a deepening civil crisis since June 2024, as Islamabad's occupying administration dismissed the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) on 5 June, branding it an Indian agent and a terrorist organisation. The move came after months of stalled negotiations that locals now believe were a deliberate stalling tactic, fracturing the movement's leadership and stalling its momentum.

What JAAC Is Demanding

The JAAC has put forward a set of structural reform demands centred on genuine autonomy for the region. These include the abolition of allowances, perks, and privileges for Pakistani officers stationed in PoK; the creation of an independent accountability body to combat entrenched corruption; and the elimination of what the committee describes as excessive tariffs and taxes — particularly contentious given that PoK is not constitutionally part of Pakistan.

The committee also demands an end to the appropriation of native lands and natural resources, as well as a halt to uncontrolled deforestation and the construction of mega dams, which it links to acute water scarcity and environmental degradation. A key political demand is the abolition of 12 reserved assembly seats currently held by individuals claiming descent from Kashmiri refugees from the Kashmir Valley and Jammu — some of whom reportedly occupy senior positions in the government and judiciary, including the current chief justice of the regional 'Supreme Court.'

Crackdown: Military Force and Alleged Atrocities

Rather than engaging with these demands, Pakistani authorities reportedly deployed 26,000 police and military personnel to suppress the protests. According to accounts from within the region, the local administration has been effectively sidelined, with the Pakistani military directly directing the response.

According to reports, 14 people were killed in attacks on demonstrators. More than 1,000 individuals — including women and children — were reportedly injured, and 300 remain missing, with some critically wounded persons allegedly removed from hospitals to undisclosed locations. Reports from within PoK indicate that snipers were deployed against protesters and that the army placed bounties of millions of rupees on the heads of JAAC leaders.

Media access has been blocked and phone and internet services suspended, according to reports. Journalists who attempted to document the violence were allegedly arrested and tortured. Mosques were reportedly infiltrated, with clergy pressured to condemn the JAAC. Medical personnel at hospitals were allegedly intimidated, and injured protesters denied care. Reports further allege that the bodies of deceased protesters were withheld from their families.

Women were reportedly assaulted in multiple towns during the crackdown, with accounts drawing comparisons — by residents and observers — to the violence that accompanied Pakistan's entry into the Kashmir Valley in 1947.

Electoral Context and Gilgit Baltistan

The military's urgency is reportedly linked to an assembly election scheduled for 27 July in PoK. On 7 June, Pakistan held an assembly election in Gilgit Baltistan — another territory under Pakistani administration — which critics allege was rigged in favour of the ruling party. In response, sections of PoK's population are reportedly considering boycotting Pakistani parties altogether. Nationalist and separatist candidates face a structural barrier: they are required to submit an affidavit of loyalty to Pakistan before contesting.

Despite the crackdown, the JAAC staged a shutter-down and wheel-jam strike in Muzaffarabad on 9 June, which was described as widely observed across PoK. Millions of residents were reported to be converging on the capital in solidarity with the movement.

Broader Implications: Pakistan's Regional Credibility

The crisis in PoK has drawn scrutiny over Pakistan's role as a regional mediator. Senge Sering, founder of the Washington-based Institute for Gilgit Baltistan Studies, argues that a country unable to ensure peace for its own residents cannot credibly position itself as a peace broker between other nations. Sering contends that Pakistan's financial and geopolitical interests are prolonging regional tensions rather than resolving them.

Residents of PoK have reportedly appealed for India to file a complaint against Pakistan at the International Court of Justice, and for the United Nations to convene a special session on the situation. They have also called on the UN to hold Pakistan to its 1948 commitment to withdraw fully from PoK, including Gilgit Baltistan. As the situation remains volatile, international attention on the territory's status is likely to intensify.