‘Disproportionate use of force deepened polarisation in AJK’

LAHORE: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has attributed the recent unrest in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) to longstanding political and socioeconomic grievances, institutional distrust and governance deficits, saying an increasingly confrontational state response, including the disproportionate use of force, further deepened polarisation and eroded public trust.

The HRCP fact-finding report, Civic Spaces under Strain in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, (a copy available with Dawn), stated that the dispute over implementation of a 2025 agreement with the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), coupled with controversy over 12 seats reserved for Kashmiri refugees in Pakistan, had become central to the political confrontation.

The report said negotiations between the government and JAAC failed on May 30, after which the government proscribed the organisation on June 5 under the AJK Anti-Terrorism Act 2014 and imposed restrictions on movement and communications, including a prolonged suspension of mobile internet services. The ensuing unrest coincided with the AJK Legislative Assembly elections, which were eventually held in phases because of security concerns.

The HRCP mission, which conducted fact-finding and election observation from Aug 8 to 10 after a stakeholder consultation in Islamabad on July 31, said it received sharply conflicting accounts about the scale of violence, JAAC’s methods and the conduct of security forces. However, it found broad agreement among political and community stakeholders, including people critical of JAAC, that the underlying dispute should have been resolved through political dialogue rather than coercion.

HRCP fact-finding report calls for independent investigation into deaths, injuries during protests

The commission expressed particular concern at the allegations of lethal and excessive use of force against protesters. It said the AJK police chief had reported around 38 security personnel killed and 742 police personnel injured since June but the HRCP mission also received multiple accounts from families, alleging that protesters had been killed or seriously injured by the security forces.

The HRCP cautioned that it could not independently establish the full scale or circumstances of civilian casualties, particularly because it was unable to access Rawalakot, one of the main centres of violence. It therefore called for an independent and impartial investigation into all deaths and serious injuries since June, including whether the use of force was lawful, necessary and proportionate.

The report also raised concerns at the government’s use of anti-terrorism and preventive-detention provisions against political activists. It said at least 147 JAAC activists were initially placed on the Fourth Schedule, while a series of notifications issued between June and August reportedly brought the total number of political workers, journalists, residents and activists listed under anti-terrorism legislation to at least 157.

The HRCP urged authorities to ensure due process for everyone arrested in connection with the protests, including their production before courts, access to lawyers and information about the grounds for arrest. It called for independent review of cases against protesters, activists, journalists and political workers, with cases withdrawn where individuals had been detained or prosecuted solely for peaceful political activity or lawful assembly.

It also criticised restrictions on journalism and access to information, saying journalists had faced arrests, legal action, restrictions on access to affected areas and special security requirements while the prolonged communications shutdown severely constrained independent reporting and verification of deaths, injuries, arrests and alleged electoral irregularities.

The report noted that journalists had reported pressure from both state authorities and JAAC supporters, creating a difficult environment for independent reporting during the unrest and elections.

The communications shutdown, according to the mission, went far beyond political activity, disrupting banking, education, commerce, transport, public administration and healthcare.

On the elections, the HRCP made a distinction between political boycott and physical obstruction of voters. At polling stations it visited in Bagh, it found limited evidence of systematic physical coercion by JAAC supporters. In some areas, extremely low turnout appeared to reflect voluntary boycott, political disillusionment, fear and the wider security and communications environment rather than voters being physically prevented from casting ballots.

At the same time, the mission said the heavy deployment of security personnel, prolonged communications restrictions, boycott by major political actors, phased polling and postponement of seven constituencies raised wider questions about the credibility of the electoral process. The HRCP said the credibility of elections could not be judged solely by what happened inside polling stations but also had to take into account the broader environment in which voters, candidates, political parties, journalists and civil society exercised their rights.

The mission observed orderly voting at the polling stations it visited in Bagh. At some other stations, however, polling staff reported exceptionally low turnout and said voters had not been threatened or prevented from voting, attributing the low participation to a voluntary boycott.

The HRCP also noted particularly low participation by women, with respondents linking their reluctance to vote partly to the wider climate of insecurity. It said reports concerning violence against women and the placement of women protesters on the Fourth Schedule required independent verification but indicated that the unrest may have generated fear affecting women’s participation.

The report concluded that the 2026 electoral process took place amid unresolved political grievances, insecurity, communications restrictions and significant limitations on independent observation. It stopped short of concluding that the elections had been systematically manipulated or that voters had been systematically prevented from participating.

Published in Dawn, August 30th, 2026