Ex-AJK premier urges intervention after fresh Rawalakot violence reports

Raja Muhammad Farooq Haider Khan, a former prime minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and a Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader, has urged the authorities to intervene to stop the bloodshed in Rawalakot, where The Express Tribune reported fresh clashes between security forces and supporters of a banned action committee, with casualties alleged on both sides.

In a statement posted on X, Haider said: "I appeal to the concerned quarters to intervene to stop the bloodshed in Rawalakot before it is too late."

The Express Tribune reported that the city was in the grip of unrest and that casualties had been reported in the clashes with supporters of the Joint Awami Action Committee, which the AJK government declared a proscribed organisation in June. The newspaper said it could not independently verify the claims.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said it was "deeply concerned by reports of a fresh spate of violence in Rawalakot in AJK, with allegations of casualties among both protesters and law enforcement personnel". The commission cited its fact-finding mission to AJK earlier in August and said the federal and AJK governments must prevent the situation from deteriorating further and immediately begin a meaningful dialogue to address citizens' concerns. It said the media must be given unhindered access to report from the region independently, and that the priority must be to prevent any loss of life and to resolve the situation through political dialogue rather than by force.

On Thursday the AJK government directed every weapon licence holder in the region to register the licence at the nearest police station within 10 days, warning that unregistered licences would be treated as cancelled. A Home Department notification said President Dr Najeeb Naqi approved the measure in the interest of public safety and the maintenance of law and order.

The unrest stems from a prolonged protest movement led by the action committee for constitutional and governance reforms, including the abolition of 12 seats reserved for refugees in the AJK Legislative Assembly, an end to privileges for the political elite and changes to the quota system. The government banned the committee on June 6, ahead of a planned long march and protest on June 9, saying 35 of its 38 demands had been accepted or implemented and that the committee had resorted to violent attacks on state personnel and assets. The notification said the government had reasonable grounds to believe the committee was "engaged in terrorism".

On June 11 the government reinstated 177 FIRs against committee members and withdrew concessions granted under an October 4, 2025 agreement, accusing the committee of violating the agreement by returning to street protests. Clashes in Rawalakot in July caused casualties, and HRCP called for an independent investigation after the two sides gave conflicting accounts of what happened. In August the PML-N formed a government in the region after winning a majority in the AJK elections, with Barrister Syed Iftikhar Ali Gilani elected prime minister, but protests and clashes have continued in Rawalakot and Muzaffarabad.