Tensions prevail in PoK as clashes continue between security forces and JAAC activists amid elections
Violent clashes between security forces and the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) have intensified in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir during regional elections. India has condemned the situation, citing it as a consequence of Pakistan's illegal occupation and human rights violations.
Why it matters
The ongoing instability in the region has significant geopolitical implications for India-Pakistan relations and regional security.
Tensions prevailed in Rawalkot region in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) on Thursday (July 30, 2026) as clashes continued between security forces and the banned Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC).
The tensions, which have claimed several lives this week, coincide with ongoing regional elections in PoK, with demonstrators affiliated with JAAC determined to march towards Muzaffarabad to press Islamabad to accept their demands.
The JAAC is a collective of activist groups which have been staging demonstrations for nearly two months over 12 contentious seats of the so-called Legislative Assembly in PoK. It alleges that the establishment manoeuvres these seats to install a Prime Minister of its choosing.
India has described the elections as an attempt by Pakistan to camouflage its illegal occupation and hide its "grave" human rights violations in the region.
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