Democratic Protests Crushed: Government Crackdowns Turn Deadly

Author: Aahana Nagwekar

June 17, 2026

HRRC condemns the murder of 15 civilians as a result of violent clashes between authorities and protesters in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. HRRC further urges Pakistani authorities to create safer conditions and alternatives to containing protests in this region without putting civilian lives at risk. 

Police officers clashing with protesters in Muzaffarabad, Pakistan. [Image Credit: Amiruddin Mughal/EPA, via Shutterstock, NYTimes]

As of June 11th, 2026, at least 15 civilians were killed as a result of clashes between protesters and authorities within the Pakistan-occupied regions of Jammu and Kashmir (also known as PoJK), two of the northernmost areas of the Indian subcontinent. Dozens more were injured as violence in the region, fueled by political conflict, has ramped up in recent months.

According to local reports, civil protesters objected to current inflation as well as a restoration of economic and human rights within the region. However, protesters have become  increasingly vocal about their desire to abolish the 12 seats in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly, which were reserved specifically for refugees. According to this piece of legislation, which was established in 1974 as a part of the Interim Constitution of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK), these refugees are defined as individuals who do not live in the Pakistan-controlled part of Kashmir. This decision angered civilians that live  within Pakistan-administered Kashmir, as the occupation of these seats could not be contested, and they make up almost a quarter of the legislative seats that are available to be filled. The legislative majority in increasingly critical and influential, as it gives a party the ultimate authority to dictate government operations and policy

The history behind this decision of reservation is complex and directly intertwined with the history of conflict between Pakistan and India, specifically related to the territorial borders of Kashmir. When India gained independence in 1947, the newly-elected government outlined that Kashmir was free to accede to either Pakistan or to India within the Indian Independence Act. The local ruler of Kashmir at the time, Hari Singh, ultimately decided to join India in exchange for aid and protection from  Pakistani tribesmen. 

As a result of this decision, war erupted amongst the two powers in 1965 that ultimately resulted in a combined death toll of between 50,000 to 100,000 civilians and military soldiers across both sides. In 1949, both India and Pakistan signed the Karachi Agreement, an act which established a line of ceasefire that divided the region into separately defined Indian-administered and Pakistan-administered territories of Kashmir. There was another war shortly after in 1999, but this solution remained to the present day.

The 12 seats in the AJK Legislative Assembly are reserved for Kashmiri refugees who fled Indian-administered Kashmir in 1947 and  again in 1965. Ultimately, the main function of these non-territorial seats is to give civilians displaced as a result of these wars a way to maintain political representation. 

A collective of activist groups, also known as the Joint Awami Action ⁠Committee (JAAC), advocated for the removal of these reserved seats via a statement which claimed that the seats being reserved for those living outside of Kashmir means that representation is taken away from those who actually reside in the region. Despite this argument, authorities continue to argue that these seats are essential and respond aggressively to any group within the JAAC, including pushes to arrest JAAC’s  leaders. 

This is not the first account of violence between Kashmiri protestors and regional authorities.  September 2025, nine police officers were killed as a result of conflict between protesters and security forces. The Pakistani federal government in Islamabad attempted to facilitate peace and negotiation talks, which had little to no effect. 

Ultimately, the conflict in this region only emphasizes a broader need to protect civilians from acts of violence perpetrated by local authorities.  Security forces and the government should work with foreign officials to create safer standards for maintaining civilian protests, and to increase protections to ensure that people living within these regions are entitled to the same rights of freedom to speech and protest that every individual deserves. 

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Glossary

• Abolishing – to end the observance or effect of

• Administered – to manage or supervise the execution, use, or conduct of

• Inflation – an increase in the average price of goods and services in terms of mone

• Legislative seats – an official position or "chair" held by an elected lawmaker within a legislative body

• Refugees – a person who flees to a region or power to escape danger or persecution