Pakistan doesn't want world to know what these people saw

Protesters tell of violent crackdown inside Pakistan-controlled Kashmir In short Protests led by the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) over political and economic grievances have been met with deadly resistance from government forces in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir. Despite a strict internet blackout and ban on foreign journalists reporting from the region, the ABC has spoken with people on the ground who want their stories heard. What's next? The JAAC has published a declaration calling for the recent elections to be annulled and for an interim government to be imposed. Roughly three weeks ago, on the street outside his house, Haji Hasan Azizi says he watched security officials with large guns "firing indiscriminately on unarmed people". Mr Hasan lives in Rawalakot — a city in the Pakistan-controlled region of Kashmir, and the epicentre of months-long protests that have become increasingly deadly. "We picked up the dead bodies; we put them in ambulances and carried some on our shoulders," he told the ABC. "This is the spot where a boy was martyred. His name was Noman. He was from Singola village, two to three kilometres away from here." Another witness in the city, Mumtaz Khan, said he saw tear gas fired by police, and then bullets that were so big, they left holes in the walls of his home. "Our kids were killed,"the 50-year-old said. Last month, Pakistan's security forces allegedly killed dozens of protesters who tried to march to Muzaffarabad — the capital of Pakistan-controlled Kashmir — after a lengthy dispute over electoral reform between activists and the government reignited. Now, red roses adorn memorials on the streets of Rawalakot honouring the dead, and shops remain shuttered. Ever since the alleged shootings, the city's central bus station has been bursting with hundreds of protesters demanding change and fuelled with grief and anger. Many told the ABC they were shocked at how lethal the government's response has been. The march to the capital was organised by the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), an activist group that formed in 2023 amid a surge in the cost of living. It calls itself the "representative platform" for people in the region but is not a political party. Last October, after lengthy protests saw at least nine people killed, the JAAC signed an agreement with the local and federal governments that included a list of reforms the governments vowed to implement. Loading...But earlier this year, one of those demands was still not met and the protest movement reignited to coincide with local elections. After deadly clashes in June, Islamabad labelled the JAAC a terrorist organisation and imposed an internet and mobile phone blackout across Pakistan-controlled Kashmir. The full scale of the deaths is unknown, but the JAAC alleges government forces have killed more than 83 people since June. The government has not released an official death toll but disputes the JAAC's version of events and said it used force because protesters were allegedly armed. Many witnesses told the ABC they never imagined government forces would react so violently. Pakistan blocks internet and mobile coverage Verifying what is happening on the ground remains difficult. The internet and mobile blackout continues, and new government guidelines ban foreign journalists from reporting on the ground. Even local journalists hired by foreign media, often called "fixers", are restricted from gathering information. The guidelines make no mention of Kashmir or explain why the new rules have been imposed. Despite the restrictions, the ABC has managed to speak with people on the ground with the help of people who have risked their safety to inform the world of what is happening. Mr Hasan said many of the injured were taken to their homes for treatment because the hospitals had closed. "We provided whatever treatment [we could] … we covered their wounds with our scarves," he said. "We [only] thought they would use tear gas. We had sticks and stones in our hands." He said some people were now struggling to buy food because authorities were stopping deliveries entering the region, and the government had cut electricity to some areas. Others said security personnel were stationed at hospitals, stopping protesters from seeking proper treatment out of fear of arrest. University student Bisma said her family member, Fahad Barkat, went missing on June 7 after going to a hospital in Rawalakot. She said she later heard that local police had shot him, but there has been no word from him since. "He went to [the hospital] to donate blood. Even if he was part of the protest, what crime did he commit that he had to disappear?" she said. The 17-year-old said the protests were about basic human rights. "We only demanded affordable wheat, flour and electricity. Is it a crime to demand your rights in this country?" Another victim, Wajid Hayat, was a father of two. His family said he was fatally shot at a protest on July 11. "He was innocent," his wife Nadia said. "He was not fighting for himself; he was fighting for Kashmir." JAAC says AJK government failed The JAAC has continued to demand structural reforms to improve the lives of Kashmiris, including access to quality education for students and lower electricity and food prices. But what sent the clashes into overdrive was a dispute about upcoming elections in the region. Jammu and Kashmir is a heavily disputed territory, divided between India and Pakistan at partition in 1947. Both countries continue to claim the entire region. In 1974, Pakistan introduced 12 reserved seats in the legislature of Pakistan-controlled Kashmir for people who had fled the Indian-controlled side during partition. Loading...Today, those 12 seats remain reserved for what the constitution of Azad Jammu and Kashmir defines as "refugees", meaning 12 of the legislature's 45 seats are allocated to them. The JAAC wants these seats abolished, arguing they are taken by politicians living outside Kashmir who do not favour policies that benefit residents. The dispute over the seats fed into the JAAC's concerns that the current government is not delivering for the people, which culminated in the violent crackdown on demonstrators who tried to march to the capital. Mr Hayat's sister, Usma Hayat, said she does not understand why the government's response has been so deadly. "I want to ask the authorities what these young people did wrong. They were demanding basic human rights. And they [the government] took precious innocent lives in return." For the past few weeks, protesters have staged multiple sit-ins in Rawalakot's city centre. "It is our peaceful struggle for our rights, and it will continue," said JAAC leader Sardar Umar Nazir. Pakistani authorities deny the JAAC's death toll and accuse them of being India-backed militants. In a statement, the JAAC told the ABC anyone who protests with them is told they cannot carry weapons, damage property, approach police or security forces, or "respond physically to provocation". "We acknowledge the government's competing accounts, including its reports that a [police officer] was killed," the statement said. "Protest participants and local witnesses allege that security forces initiated fighting against unarmed demonstrators." The group also said any protesters accused of an offence should also be investigated but cannot be used "to justify indiscriminate forces". The JAAC has published a formal declaration this week calling for an independent investigation by international human-rights organisations into the "grave crimes" it alleges have been committed by government forces. As of Friday, the Pakistan Muslim League was on track to form the next local government, replacing the Pakistan People's Party, which has been in power only since November 2025. The JAAC said the elections were "fraudulent" and the results should be "annulled and an interim government established".