Video: Pakistan Rangers Open Fire on Protesters in Rawalakot's D-Chowk as Tensions Mount in PoJK

Rawalakot: Gunfire erupted around 1:00 AM in Rawalakot, Pakistan-administered Kashmir, where Pakistani Rangers reportedly opened fire on demonstrators gathered for an ongoing protest.

Shooting was reported throughout the night at D-Chowk, the central site of the massive sit-in, intensifying fear among residents and demonstrators.

The midnight violence marks a sharp escalation in the multi-week crisis led by the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC), an umbrella coalition of civil society members, traders, and local activists. 

Demonstrators have occupied public squares in Rawalakot demanding key administrative and political reforms, including local governance rights, fair electricity tariffs, and changes to electoral seat allocations.

According to sources, several individuals sustained injuries during the early morning shooting; exact casualty figures remain difficult to confirm due to an ongoing communications blackout and disrupted mobile services across the district.

Despite the active gunfire and heavy deployment of paramilitary personnel, thousands of protesters at D-Chowk refused to vacate the area, holding their ground through the night. 

The Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC), through a series of posts on X, claimed that protest sit-ins and demonstrations continue across Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), with protesters vowing to press ahead with their movement until their demands are met.

According to posts shared by JKJAAC, a temporary sit-in is underway at D-Chowk in Rawalakot, while a peaceful long march towards Muzaffarabad could begin "at any moment." 

The group alleged that security forces were carrying out intermittent heavy firing in the area but stated that no fatalities had been reported in Rawalakot so far.

JKJAAC further said that women and children are now leading the protest at Dreak Eidgah, where a sit-in had continued for 50 days. 

According to the organisation, participants have declared that the demonstration will continue until the movement's "recognised demands" are implemented.

"The Kashmiri people, united as one nation, have resolved that they will not, under any circumstances, betray the sacrifices made by their martyrs," JKJAAC said in one of its posts.

In another post, JKJAAC asserted that the Long March, which it said began on June 9, remains ongoing despite weeks of "arrests, killings, injuries and intimidation." 

The organisation described the latest demonstrations as evidence that the movement is rooted in public demands for fundamental rights, justice and the implementation of commitments made by the authorities.

"This movement belongs to the people. As long as those legitimate demands remain unmet, the voices of the people will continue to be heard," the organisation stated.

Separately, JKJAAC also shared footage it claimed was recorded outside the Rawalpindi Press Club on Murree Road in Pakistan. According to the organisation, the video showed Kashmiri students who had gathered peacefully being detained in large numbers.

The group alleged that police officers were seen forcibly dragging students into police vans, raising concerns over the treatment of peaceful protesters and the right to peaceful assembly. JKJAAC called on the authorities to immediately release those detained "solely for peacefully exercising their fundamental rights."