Police clear Rawalakot bus terminal as Awami Action Committee claims three dead

Law enforcement agencies cleared the bus terminal in Rawalakot, Azad Kashmir, in a pre-dawn operation on Thursday against the recently banned Jammu Kashmir Awami Action Committee, and the district administration has barred gatherings of two or more people across the city.

Poonch division police confirmed that several law enforcement personnel were injured in the clash at the terminal and said details would be released shortly. A press release from the office of the DIG Poonch said armed men among the protesters opened fire on police as officials removed "illegal barriers on public roads" to restore movement, and that police had to return fire. The release said there were reports that some "armed miscreants" among the protesters were wounded.

Awami Action Committee member Abid Shaheen told BBC Urdu that security forces began the operation at about 5am and fired directly at workers, killing three people and wounding several others. He said his colleagues were still being targeted and that although the terminal was now in the hands of the security forces, committee workers remained in the surrounding area. He said the workers were at D Chowk in Rawalakot with the bodies of the three dead.

No official has confirmed any death. A senior district administration official told BBC Urdu that the bus terminal area was under the control of law enforcement agencies and that a few protesters were still present at D Chowk. The official said the operation started at about 5am and lasted roughly two and a half hours, and that there was an exchange of fire between the agencies and the organisation's workers.

The district administration has imposed Section 144 and barred the assembly of two or more people, warning residents to stay indoors and not to give shelter to strangers, saying "miscreants are firing at the forces". An administration officer said Section 144 permits restricting gatherings of five or more, which is why the district fixed the limit at two, and that the restriction would be lifted when the situation improved.

Police said "baseless and misleading propaganda" and "fabricated rumours" were being spread on social media about Thursday's events to cause fear and worsen tensions.

The committee's workers have been holding a sit-in in the area for the past five months over their demands, and the administration says the protest has disrupted traffic on the Rawalpindi to Rawalakot route.

In a separate order, the District Magistrate Bagh directed residents to surrender all unlicensed weapons to the government and to present licensed arms for inspection within ten days, after which action would be taken against those who did not comply.