Tensions escalated significantly in Rawalakot, located in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), as Pakistani security forces opened fire on demonstrators participating in a rally. At least 19 individuals lost their lives, and more than two dozen sustained severe injuries in the incident. The march was organized under the banner of the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) as part of an ongoing movement demanding civil rights and economic relief.
Sequence of Events and Appeal by Demonstrators
The procession had moved through Chinar Chowk and was advancing toward D-Chowk, with a scheduled overnight stop at Maqbool Bhat Shaheed Chowk in Rawalakot. However, security personnel intervened to block the crowd, resulting in direct firing on the demonstrators. Detailed updates regarding the violence were shared on X in an official video post released by movement representatives.
Among those killed was Usman Nazir, the younger brother of movement founder Umar Nazir Kashmiri. The casualties also included residents from Khaigala, Kotli city, Tattapani, Banja-Baspur, Chhota Gala, Haveli, alongside two individuals from Balochistan. Movement organizers called upon the diaspora to stage protests outside Pakistani embassies and United Nations (UN) offices across the globe to highlight what they described as state-sponsored violence and systemic crackdown on public peaceful assemblies.
List of Deceased Individuals
The identities of the 19 citizens killed in the firing incident have been verified as follows
- Naeem Bhatt from Kotli
- Usman Nazir from Rawalakot
- Nisar Ahmad from Baloch
- Kashif Yaqoob from Rawalakot
- Sardar Fida Hussain from Trarkhal
- Muzammil from Ali Sojal
- Basit Shah from Hajira
- Faheem Afzal from Chhota Galla, Rawalakot
- Kamran Mushtaq Panakha (son of Mushtaq) from Hajira
- Zargham Khalil from Dareak, Rawalakot
- Saqib Hanif from Reerah Ban, Rawalakot
- Saqib Ishaq from Namb Gawara, Pallandri
- Aril Asgar from Tatta Pani
- Usman Gul from Dareak Dhok, Rawalakot
- Zafir Pehlwan from Trar Khel
- Nisar Shaheen from Pakho Narbai
- Ali Hussain from Khari Sharif, Mirpur
- Khawaja Abrar Latif Dar from Khurshidabad, Haveli
- Kamran Hafiz from Kahuta
India Direct Reaction to the Unrest
Reacting swiftly to the military action in PoK, India attributed the ongoing public anger to decades of coercive occupation and administrative oppression by Islamabad. Indian officials emphasized that the widespread unrest in the occupied territory is a direct consequence of systematic resource exploitation and governance failure. India also condemned the excessive force used by security agencies against unarmed civilians expressing their grievances.
