The Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) has decided to restart its agitation in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) from October 24, a move likely to add to the worries of the establishment in Islamabad. Pakistan already faces mounting pressure on external fronts, and the internal situation is reported to be deteriorating by the day.
The committee is preparing for a large-scale mobilisation across the region. The human cost of the previous phase of unrest, which ran from July through September, still casts a long shadow. According to reports circulating among protesters and local sources, Pakistani security forces killed around 150 demonstrators during that period. Security agencies are also said to have acknowledged that about 200 women and girls were abducted and remain untraced. Critics have described the crackdown as a massacre, pointing out that protesters were publicly branded terrorists and that Rangers were deployed in the affected areas. These allegations have intensified demands for independent scrutiny and accountability.
Rights activist alleges repression
Human rights activist Javed Beigh has accused the Pakistani establishment of violence, oppression and continuing rights violations in PoJK and Gilgit-Baltistan. He alleged that residents face curbs on civil liberties, political repression and economic hardship. Referring to the recent unrest, he claimed civilians were killed during the crackdowns and that the bodies of some victims have not been returned to their families. He also alleged that thousands of Kashmiris remain imprisoned and voiced concern over the reported detention and unknown whereabouts of JAAC chairman Shaukat Nawaz Mir.
Beigh further criticised the region’s political representation, alleging election manipulation and claiming that local leaders function under the influence of the Pakistani establishment and its intelligence agencies. He also pointed to public anger over electricity prices, the cost of flour and the lack of basic services.
Kotli at the centre of the plan
From October 24, the movement is expected to intensify, with Kotli emerging as the nerve centre of the renewed campaign. Organisers have called a massive public rally there. On the same day, ongoing sit-ins in Rawalakot and Abbaspur are expected to converge on Kotli, while plans for a chakka jam, or complete road blockade, are under way in Muzaffarabad and Mirpur.
The announcement follows months of civil unrest, heavy-handed official responses and only a partial easing of lockdown measures earlier this month. Authorities had briefly relaxed restrictions to let residents stock up on two months’ worth of essential supplies in anticipation of prolonged disruption. That window has now closed, and the JAAC appears determined to resume pressure.
Communication curbs persist
Internet services in Muzaffarabad have been restored after a blackout of nearly 136 days, bringing limited relief to a major urban centre. However, mobile internet curbs continue across Poonch and parts of Kotli, hitting students attending online classes, traders managing supply chains and ordinary citizens trying to access banking services or basic information. Protesters have repeatedly demanded the full restoration of civic amenities and an end to security-related restrictions, which they describe as collective punishment.
From bills and flour to a broader governance challenge
What began as a focused campaign against inflated electricity bills and soaring wheat flour prices has grown into a wider challenge to governance in the region. The JAAC’s 38-point charter now covers administrative accountability, protection of civil rights, better public services and meaningful political representation.
One of the most contentious demands is the abolition of 12 seats in the regional Legislative Assembly reserved for Kashmiri refugees settled in Pakistan. Local activists argue that these seats dilute the electoral voice of residents who live under the territory’s day-to-day administration, privileging non-resident interests over those of the permanent population.
Residents allege that little concrete progress has been made despite high-level political meetings and an agreement signed in October 2025. The perception of broken promises has fuelled frustration and given fresh momentum to the mobilisation. The committee’s core economic demands remain central: electricity tariffs based on local hydropower generation costs rather than inflated rates, and heavily subsidised wheat flour to ease pressure on household budgets. It also seeks an end to elite privileges and bureaucratic perks, an impartial probe into alleged human rights abuses, the release of detained civil activists and the immediate lifting of the prolonged internet blackouts still in force in parts of Poonch and Kotli.
Confrontation looms
With the October 24 deadline close, the stage appears set for a possible confrontation. Organisers insist their movement is peaceful and rooted in legitimate grievances over economic hardship and democratic representation. The mobilisation is meant to demonstrate the breadth of support for the JAAC’s agenda, while unresolved allegations of killings and disappearances continue to deepen distrust and the communication blackouts serve as a daily reminder of shrinking civic space. The renewed call to action underscores the persistent gap between official assurances and the lived reality of many residents of PoJK.