Overview
- Mass rallies called by the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee spread across Pakistan‑occupied Jammu and Kashmir on July 5, with thousands gathering in towns such as Rawalakot, Abbaspur and parts of Mirpur.
- Authorities have detained more than 600 JAAC members and supporters since the arrest of leader Shaukat Nawaz Mir, and security forces have carried out large deployments and flag marches in key districts.
- Activists accuse police, Pakistan Rangers and other security units of firing on protesters and using shelling, claims that reporters could not independently verify and that officials dispute; at least one death has been alleged by protest groups.
- An internet blackout that has lasted weeks remained in place while the JAAC set a July 9 'grand and final' action, and overseas Kashmiri communities held solidarity rallies in cities including London and Auckland as Amnesty International condemned the proscription of JAAC.
- The Azad Jammu and Kashmir government says the proscribed JAAC has caused large financial losses and has foreign links, protesters are calling for a boycott of the July 27 local polls, and residents report shortages of food and medicine that are worsening daily life.