Voices from Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and across Pakistan are spreading fast online as the region deals with violence linked to its recent local elections. Content creators, eyewitnesses, and public figures are sharing videos, demanding answers, and asking the world to pay attention.
The trouble began before polling even started. People held rallies, road blockades, sit-ins, and strikes in cities like Muzaffarabad, Rawalakot, Mirpur, and Kotli. Protesters were angry about assembly seats reserved for refugees from Indian-administered Kashmir, saying these seats give outside political parties too much control over AJK’s government. The group leading these protests, the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), was banned last month under anti-terrorism laws and boycotted the vote.
Things turned deadly when clashes broke out between security forces and JAAC supporters in Rawalakot, where police said one officer was killed and several others hurt while protesters tried to march toward the regional capital, Muzaffarabad. Police said two security personnel died overall, while JAAC claimed at least 25 of its supporters were killed over two days of unrest — a number authorities dispute and that could not be independently confirmed. By Wednesday, JAAC raised that claimed toll to 31 supporters killed, while the government maintained its own account of events.
Pakistan’s federal government has sided firmly with the crackdown. Federal ministers said those involved would now be treated as rioters, not protesters, and a senior police official said the protesters were armed and had fired on security forces through the night. JAAC rejects this, saying its people were peacefully demonstrating when they came under fire.
Online, the numbers being shared are far higher than official or JAAC figures. Some creators and posts claim over 200 deaths, though these figures haven’t been verified by any independent source. What is confirmed is that mobile and internet services were cut in parts of the region during the unrest, making it harder to check facts on the ground.
Several well-known voices have spoken up. Actress Mishi Khan appealed for mercy toward the people of Azad Kashmir and Balochistan. She said, “Please have mercy on the people of Azad Kashmir and Balochistan. They are citizens of Pakistan who are being treated in the most inhumane manner just because they wanted their rights as citizens. This kind of treatment is so cruel. Have mercy on your own people.”
Young content creators have posted emotional videos, some addressing politicians directly and asking for the firing to stop. One creator, filming from what he called a long march, said, “Today we were doing a long march, and security forces opened direct fire on us. Countless people are injured, and many are dead. Cellular services are shut down, and they are committing genocide in Kashmir. I request international humanitarian organizations to take action against the oppressors and share this news as much as you can.”
Laibaro Manak, who addressed her message directly to PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. “My video is for Bilawal Bhutto,” she said. “I asked him about the internet shutdown and the situation, and he responded that everything should be handled peacefully. But soon after the election, countless people died due to open firing by forces. You took votes and are celebrating your victory, but Kashmir is bleeding. My appeal is to stop the firing. Mothers are waiting for their sons, unaware that their children are being killed by direct gunfire.”
The election itself is being held in phases. Azad Kashmir’s chief election commissioner called the first round the “toughest” in the region’s history, though officials say the remaining rounds will go ahead as planned.
As both sides disagree on what really happened, one thing is clear: people in Azad Kashmir want to be heard, at a moment when communication in the region has been badly disrupted.
