Protests in Pakistan-administered Kashmir met with force; 5 dead reported

Security forces in Pakistan-administered Kashmir used tear gas and fired into the air to disperse demonstrators attempting to march toward Muzaffarabad, the regional capital. The Awami Joint Action Committee (JAAC), which is leading the protests, reported that at least five people were killed and approximately 15 others injured during the confrontations in Rawalakot.

The JAAC accused security forces of firing directly at unarmed Kashmiris, resulting in the deaths of five young individuals and injuring around 15. EFE has not independently verified these casualty figures or the circumstances surrounding them. Internet and mobile phone services were cut in several areas of the region, a measure the JAAC condemned as part of the repression and which hindered independent verification of the incidents.

The march was called after negotiations between the JAAC and regional authorities failed. The movement's primary demand is the abolition of twelve legislative assembly seats currently reserved for refugees from the Indian-administered part of Kashmir who settled in Pakistan after the 1947 partition. The JAAC argues that Islamabad uses these seats to influence the formation of local governments.

Authorities, however, maintain that eliminating these seats would require a constitutional reform. The security forces' intervention coincided with local elections in parts of the territory, which were boycotted by the JAAC and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. Pakistan-administered Kashmir has been a disputed territory since 1947, claimed in its entirety by both Pakistan and India.