Protests in PoK, people say - we are not Pakistanis: 'Pakistan needs us, not us', government-rebels come face to face; Shaukat Nawaz, who was awarded Rs 1 crore in cash, has been arrested.

Protests against the Pakistan government have intensified in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Thousands of people gathered at the Eidgah ground in Rawalakot on Tuesday. He said that PoK is not a part of Pakistan. The movement is being led by the Jammu and Kashmir Awami Action Committee (JAAC). According to media reports, the main leader of the JAAC, Shaukat Nawaz Mir, was arrested along with two of his associates from the Sangar Fatare area of Dhirkot. More than 600 leaders and activists of JAAC have also been detained in PoK. The Pakistan government had announced a reward of Rs 1 crore for information about the arrest of JAAC leaders, including Shaukat Nawaz Mir. During the protest, JAAC leader Sardar Aman Khan said, "We don't need your rations, you need us. If the supply of essential commodities is stopped, people will be forced to take another route to survive," he alleged. According to the report, the agitation started with inflation, food crisis, rising prices and issues of local administration. Now it has taken the form of a political protest against the Pakistan government. Recently, Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif had termed the people of Rawalakot and Mirpur as "not real Kashmiris". After this, the protest increased. According to the report, cases have also been registered against many leaders and activists of the JAAC under the Anti-Terrorism Act. The government had banned the JAAC on June 5 under the Anti-Terrorism Act. Since then, tensions in the area have been steadily rising. Internet shutdown, claim of 22 deaths According to the report, internet services have been restricted in many areas of PoK since the beginning of June. The protesters allege that this has been done to prevent pictures and videos of the protest from going out. At least 22 people have been killed in clashes between protesters and security forces in the past two weeks. Elections to be held in PoK on July 27 After Gilgit-Baltistan, assembly elections will be held in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) on July 27. There are a total of 53 seats in the Legislative Assembly of PoK. Out of these, 45 seats are directly elected, while 8 seats are reserved for women, technical experts and religious scholars. Previous incidents of protests in PoK... June 12: 46 protesters killed in PoK so far, 1,100 arrested So far, 46 protesters have been killed in the 4-day agitation in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). According to sources, more than 1100 people have been arrested in four days. Read the full story... September 29, 2025: Anti-government protests in PoK, stone pelting on army convoy Protests against the Pakistan government continue in 3 major cities of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Shops, markets and roads were closed across the area on Monday on the appeal of the Awami Action Committee (AAC) of PoK. Read the full story...