Three police officers were killed and nine others were injured during an attack. This was carried out by armed men belonging to the Awami Action Committee in Dhir Kot, Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Armed men affiliated with the Awami Action Committee on Wednesday opened fire on police personnel, resulting in casualties. The officers who were killed include Constable Khurshid and Constable Jameel, both from Bagh, and Constable Tahir Rafi from Muzaffarabad.
Families of the deceased and injured officers demanded that the government bring the attackers to justice and impose strict penalties. The attack has heightened tensions in the region, where protests have escalated into violence.
Meanwhile, AJK Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq invited the Awami Action Committee to enter into negotiations. This invitation followed violent protests in the region. Speaking at a joint press conference in Islamabad alongside Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, the PM stated that the committee had initially planned a peaceful protest. However, the situation escalated. “In various areas of Azad Kashmir, enraged individuals carried out violent demonstrations and opened fire on police personnel. This resulted in three officers killed and ten others injured,” Haq said. He noted that participants in the protest came from multiple areas, adding, “If it had been only people from Kashmir, perhaps the protest would not have turned violent in this manner.”
Haq reiterated his call for dialogue, stating, “I once again invite the leaders of the Awami Action Committee to come forward and engage in talks. The government will acknowledge the legitimate demands of the protesters.” He added that in September, the government had already accepted 90 per cent of the committee’s demands. Yet, the committee chose to announce further protests.
On Monday, a shutdown and wheel-jam strike across AJK, called by the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee over constitutional demands, resulted in one death. This action paralysed life in major districts before escalating into violence after clashes at Neelum Bridge. Led by JKJAAC central leader Shaukat Nawaz Mir, the strike brought Muzaffarabad, Mirpur, Poonch, Neelum, Bhimber and Palandari to a halt. Markets remained shut, roads were blocked, and internet services were restricted across much of Muzaffarabad. These restrictions excluded areas bordering Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Escalation at Neelum Bridge
Landline, cellular and private internet networks were also largely suspended. Tensions flared when activists of the Muslim Conference, holding a parallel “Aman March” in support of shopkeepers wanting to keep businesses open, confronted JKJAAC protesters at Neelum Bridge. Muslim Conference supporters, including party leader Raja Saqib Majeed and his brother, allegedly opened fire on demonstrators. “The incident, captured in viral social media footage, clearly shows the person shooting at the crowd,” journalist Farhan Ahmed Khan said. Four protesters were injured. One of them, Sudheer, later died in the hospital.
In the evening, nearly 5,000 people gathered at Lal Chowk, where Shaukat Nawaz Mir delivered a fiery 17-minute speech. He condemned the firing and accused the authorities of trying to stage “another May 9” through their “touts”. He insisted JKJAAC harboured no hostility toward state institutions or the Pakistan Army. Mir announced that a protest would be held with Sudheer’s body at Chehlabandi on Neelum Road. They were demanding an FIR and a post-mortem, neither of which had been completed. He also called for further demonstrations at Lal Chowk on Tuesday afternoon. “Fake footage is being aired to suggest everything is normal,” he alleged. He vowed to continue the protests until the demands are met.
