Overview
- JAAC set a 48-hour ultimatum that expired without agreement and, following July 9 clashes, security forces reportedly opened fire with at least two people killed in the Rawalakot/Kotli area.
- Pakistan has formally banned the Joint Awami Action Committee under the Anti‑Terrorism Act and authorities have detained large numbers of activists with reports of more than 1,000 arrests.
- JAAC rejected government offers and announced a mass Long March to Muzaffarabad on July 15 while maintaining indefinite sit‑ins as its leaders press a 38‑point charter of demands.
- Protesters and local residents allege raids, withheld bodies, targeting of women and children, frozen bank accounts and blocked supplies of food and medicine but many of these claims have not been independently verified.
- The unrest has drawn international attention including debate in the UK Parliament, calls from rights groups for journalist protections and travel advisories, and the Azad Kashmir administration has asked Islamabad for large federal security reinforcements.