Muzaffarabad, August 13, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Protests intensified across Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) on Thursday, with thousands of people joining rallies in several areas in support of the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) and raising concerns over alleged violence by Pakistani security forces.
Videos shared on social media, including by JAAC, showed large gatherings in Muzaffarabad, Rawalakot, Bokhara and Mandhol. Protesters expressed support for the JAAC and raised slogans against what they described as the excessive use of force by security authorities.
“Once again, the people of Rawalakot took to the streets in support of the Action Committee and raised their voices against the forces’ brutal violence,” JAAC said in a post on X.
In Bokhara, a large number of women and children carrying flags participated in a protest rally and raised slogans including “Inquilab Ayega”. Thousands of women and children also took part in a rally in Mandhol in PoK’s Poonch district.
A sizeable gathering in Rawalakot also voiced support for the JAAC. Protesters raised slogans including “ye gundagardi na bhai na, ye daishtgardi na bhai na, ye afra tafri na bhai na” and called for unity among people across Mirpur, Kotli, Rawalakot, Bagh and Muzaffarabad.
JAAC said the participation of women and children demonstrated the wider reach of the movement, with families and communities joining demands for fundamental rights, justice and implementation of public demands.
The region has witnessed growing confrontation between sections of the local population and the Pakistani state, including deadly violence, suspension of internet services and allegations of police brutality.
The protests initially focused on electricity prices and the rising cost of essential commodities but have since expanded to include demands for political reforms, greater accountability and a more representative government.
Several videos circulated on social media in recent weeks have purportedly shown Pakistani security personnel using force against protesters. Some footage showed women protesters fleeing during a demonstration in Kotli amid allegations that local police opened fire on the gathering.
On August 1, JAAC member Sardar Umar Nazir Kashmiri claimed that more than 50 people had been killed and hundreds injured during the security crackdown in PoK. The claim could not be independently verified.
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