“Stop the Killing, Honour Your Pledge”: JKJAAC Advisory Council Urges Pakistan’s President, Prime Minister and Political Leaders to End Rawalakot Bloodshed

Advisory Council says Rawalakot crackdown is a breach of trust, a human rights emergency, and a test of Pakistan’s own commitment to Kashmiris’ civil and political rights

Rawalakot / Muzaffarabad / Islamabad / London | 8 June 2026

The Advisory Council of the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC) has issued an urgent joint letter to the President of Pakistan, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, the Prime Minister of the Azad Government of the State of Jammu and Kashmir, and the leaders of all political parties, calling for an immediate halt to the bloodshed in Rawalakot and across Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

The letter states that Azad Jammu and Kashmir is not an ordinary administrative unit but part of the disputed State of Jammu and Kashmir, whose constitutional and international status is linked to the United Nations Security Council and UNCIP resolutions and Pakistan’s stated commitments to the Kashmiri people. The letter also reminds Pakistan’s leadership that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated on 3 October 2025 that the people of AJK “freely enjoy their civil and political rights” and that Pakistan is committed to “upholding their dignity” and safeguarding their right to “peaceful assembly and protest.”

The Advisory Council says the events in Rawalakot between 7–8 June 2026, including reports of the obstruction of funeral prayers for Shazaib Habib, the use of force against mourners, the communications blackout, arrests, and denial of medical access, represent a grave breach of trust and a direct contradiction of Pakistan’s own declared obligations to the people of AJK. Public reporting has already confirmed deaths, arrests and continuing unrest in Rawalakot, while community reports allege a much higher death toll and hundreds injured, requiring urgent independent verification.

In the letter, the Advisory Council states:

“JKJAAC and the people of Azad Jammu and Kashmir are not enemies. They are not terrorists. They are not foreign agents. They are citizens, mourners, workers, traders, students, lawyers, mothers, fathers and young people demanding dignity, justice, accountable governance, implementation of written agreements, fair representation and democratic rights.”

The letter further warns that Pakistan cannot condemn the denial of fundamental freedoms in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir while allowing similar methods — communications blackouts, criminalisation of peaceful dissent, obstruction of funeral prayers, denial of medical treatment, and the use of force against civilians — to be used in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan’s Foreign Office had itself contrasted Pakistan’s position on AJK with India’s conduct in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, stating that Pakistan safeguards the rights of the people of AJK, including the right to peaceful assembly and protest.

The Advisory Council says the crisis did not arise in isolation. It follows the non-implementation of the Muzaffarabad Agreement of 3–4 October 2025, signed after negotiations involving the Government of Pakistan, the Government of AJK, federal ministers and political leadership. The Council says JKJAAC’s Charter of Demands was accepted in principle, Pakistan acted as guarantor, but the agreement has not been implemented in letter and spirit.

The letter calls on Pakistan’s civil and military leadership, the AJK Government and all political parties to act immediately, stating:

“There is still time to pause. There is still time to reflect. There is still time to save lives. But that time is now.”

Key demands made by the JKJAAC Advisory Council

1. Immediate ceasefire and de-escalation in Rawalakot and across AJK.

2. An end to firing, shelling, raids, coercive arrests and house searches against civilians, mourners and civil rights activists.

3. Permission for funeral prayers and burial rites for Shazaib Habib and all deceased civilians to proceed peacefully and with dignity.

4. Immediate medical access for all injured civilians at Combined Military Hospital Rawalakot and all other hospitals.

5. Access for the International Committee of the Red Cross, independent doctors and humanitarian observers to treat the injured, identify the dead, assist families and preserve evidence.

6. Publication of verified lists of all deceased, injured, detained and missing persons.

7. Preservation and return of bodies to families with dignity and independent documentation.

8. Immediate restoration of internet, mobile and WhatsApp communications across AJK.

9. An end to house raids, intimidation of women and children, and collective punishment of families.

10. Release of detainees or prompt production before courts with access to lawyers and families.

11. Withdrawal of the proscription of JKJAAC, which the Council describes as a peaceful civil and political rights movement.

12. An independent judicial and internationally credible inquiry into the killing of Shazaib Habib, the firing on mourners, reported deaths and injuries, denial of medical treatment, arbitrary arrests, and the role of police, paramilitary and military units.

13. Implementation of the Muzaffarabad Agreement through a public roadmap within 48 hours.

14. Immediate resumption of dialogue with the JKJAAC Core Committee and its designated negotiation team.

Statement from the JKJAAC Advisory Council

A spokesperson for the Advisory Council said:

“This is a moment for statesmanship. Pakistan’s moral argument on Kashmir cannot survive if the Kashmiri lives in Azad Jammu and Kashmir are treated as expendable. The first duty is to stop the killing. The first proof of commitment is to allow the injured to be treated, the dead to be buried, the detained to be accounted for, and the people to speak.”

The spokesperson added:

“The people of AJK have carried Pakistan’s moral argument on Kashmir for decades. They must not now be treated as a security problem. We appeal to the President, Prime Minister, AJK Prime Minister and all political parties: pause, reflect, act, save lives.”\

Appeal to political parties

The Advisory Council has also called on all political parties in Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir to rise above partisan interest and publicly demand an end to the use of force, restoration of communications, access to medical treatment, protection of funeral prayers, release or production of detainees before courts, implementation of the Muzaffarabad Agreement, and a political solution through dialogue.

The letter warns:

“Silence at this hour will be remembered.”

Background for editors

The Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee has led a civil rights movement in AJK around public services, electricity, flour subsidies, elite privileges, resource justice, democratic equality, implementation of the Muzaffarabad Agreement, and reform of the 12 non-territorial/refugee seats in the AJK Legislative Assembly. Previous reporting has documented JKJAAC-led protests, negotiations with the Government of Pakistan and the Government of AJK, and concerns over communications blackouts and the use of force during earlier protest waves.

The latest escalation follows the reported proscription of JKJAAC under anti-terror laws ahead of the planned 9 June mobilisation. Pakistan Today reported on 8 June 2026 that at least seven civilians had been killed in Rawalakot clashes and that arrests and a wider crackdown were continuing, while News18 reported funeral-related violence and army cordons in Rawalakot.

The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office updated its Pakistan travel advice on 6 June 2026, advising against all but essential travel to AJK and warning that the 9 June strike could involve road closures, severe disruption, clashes between protesters and security forces, and suspension of mobile and internet services. Click here to read the letter

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