Memorials lined with red roses have appeared on the streets of Rawalakot in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), as shops remain shuttered and grief hardens into fury over months of deadly clashes between local residents and Pakistani security forces. According to reports, human rights activists estimate that over 100 people have been killed and several more injured since the confrontations began — though the precise toll remains unverified due to sweeping restrictions imposed by Islamabad.

Eyewitness Accounts From the Ground

Haji Hasan Azizi, a Rawalakot resident, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) that roughly three weeks ago he watched security officials with large guns 'firing indiscriminately on unarmed people' on the street outside his home. 'We picked up the dead bodies; we put them in ambulances and carried some on our shoulders... This is the spot where a boy was martyred. His name was Noman. He was from Singola village, two to three kilometres away from here,' Hasan said.

Another resident, Mumtaz Khan, told the ABC he witnessed tear gas being fired by police, followed by bullets so large they left holes in the walls of his home. Locals also told the network that many of the injured were taken to private homes for treatment because hospitals had closed during the unrest.

Hasan added that civilians were caught off guard by the scale of force: 'We provided whatever treatment [we could]… we covered their wounds with our scarves. We [only] thought they would use tear gas. We had sticks and stones in our hands.' He further noted that authorities were blocking food deliveries into the region and had cut electricity to some areas.

Protests Spread Across PoK

Thousands gathered across Muzaffarabad, Rawalakot, Bokhara, and Mandhol in protest rallies on Thursday, with demonstrators slamming what they described as brutal violence by Pakistani forces over the preceding months. Large contingents of women and children carrying flags participated in Bokhara, chanting slogans including 'inqilab ayega' (revolution will come). A similar rally drew thousands in the Mandhol area of PoK's Poonch district.

The Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), which has been leading the protest movement, posted on X: 'Once again, the people of Rawalakot took to the streets in support of the Action Committee and raised their voices against the forces' brutal violence.'

JAAC's Appeal to International Bodies

Last week, the JAAC urged international human rights organisations and media to closely monitor the situation. In a statement shared on X alongside a video showing a man receiving treatment for a gunshot wound, the committee said: 'Two people have been injured following firing by security forces in Rawalakot. The use of force against civilians is deeply alarming. We call for an immediate end to violence and urge international human rights organisations and the media to closely monitor the situation on the ground.'

The ABC also reported that local journalists working as 'fixers' for foreign media have been restricted from gathering information, compounding a broader internet and mobile coverage shutdown imposed by Pakistani authorities.

Roots of the Unrest

The current wave of protests — described by observers as the most extensive confrontation between PoK's local population and the Pakistani state in decades — initially erupted over soaring electricity tariffs and the rising cost of essential commodities. Over time, the movement evolved into a broader demand for political reforms, greater accountability, and representative governance. The central bus station in Rawalakot has, according to the ABC, been filled with hundreds of protesters driven by grief and anger since the alleged shootings began.

With information flows tightly controlled and independent verification near-impossible, the full human cost of the crackdown in PoK remains unclear — but pressure from civil society and diaspora groups for international scrutiny is growing.