What happened
Activists and supporters of the proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) regrouped at two locations on the outskirts of Rawalakot on Friday afternoon, 12 June 2026, hours after they had dispersed from sit-in sites after midnight, drawing thousands of participants despite official claims that the protest campaign had collapsed.
Senior officials had said early on Friday that all three protest camps on the fringes of Rawalakot had been vacated after 12:30am amid expectations of a major operation by law enforcement agencies. Poonch Divisional Commissioner Sardar Waheed Khan claimed that all protesters had dispersed, “unconditionally surrendering” before the state and returning to their respective areas, and said the development followed back-channel contacts with local JAAC leader Umar Nazir Kashmiri through two local figures. He said the intermediaries conveyed a message urging Kashmiri to call off the protest in the interest of participants’ safety, and that Kashmiri had sought the withdrawal of the notification proscribing JAAC.
Residents told Dawn that Eidgah Ground, around 3.5 kilometres from Rawalakot city, appeared deserted in the early hours of Friday with only litter left behind. But people from nearby areas began returning by noon, and after Friday prayers the crowd there was estimated at between 5,000 and 6,000 people, including dozens of women and children, before multiplying by evening. Around 3,000 people from Thorar, Mang and adjoining areas regrouped at the bus terminal in the afternoon, led by JAAC core member Sardar Arbab Advocate. Organisers formed committees to manage the gatherings and vowed to continue the sit-in “for a long time”.
Addressing the Eidgah gathering in the evening, Kashmiri vowed that the sit-in would continue and insisted that the call for a long march on Muzaffarabad had not been withdrawn. Official sources said protesters at the gathering were divided over their next course of action, with options including marching towards the heavily fortified Rawalakot city, heading for Muzaffarabad, or continuing the sit-in at the existing venue.
A shutdown strike observed on JAAC’s call entered its fifth consecutive day across most parts of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, including the capital Muzaffarabad, where markets remained largely closed. Public transport remained suspended in most areas, while private vehicles continued to operate cautiously within and between cities and inter-district roads remained open.
Official sources said the government had intensified measures against JAAC’s leadership by blocking the computerised national identity cards of all 31 core members and subsequently their passports. There were also unconfirmed reports that some individuals in Mirpur had been detained for allegedly facilitating financial support to JAAC from the United Kingdom, and that some local traders said to have donated to the organisation had been taken into custody.
Why it matters
The regrouping contradicted the authorities’ account that the campaign had collapsed and underscored the standoff over the proscribed group’s demands. JAAC was declared a proscribed organisation on 5 June after the government accused it of terrorism and of acting in a manner prejudicial to peace and security. At the centre of the crisis is its demand to abolish the 12 seats in the AJK Legislative Assembly reserved for refugees from Jammu and Kashmir who settled in mainland Pakistan after 1947, a dispute that had already triggered a territory-wide strike on 9 June. Elections in the territory are scheduled for 27 July 2026, and the reopening of the sit-ins keeps the confrontation alive weeks before the vote.
What is still uncertain
The protesters’ next move remained unclear, with officials saying the participants were divided over whether to march on Rawalakot, head for Muzaffarabad or stay at the existing sit-in. The government’s claim of an unconditional dispersal was contradicted by the size of the regrouping, and it was not clear how the administration would respond. The reports of detentions in Mirpur were unconfirmed, and JAAC’s central demand remained unmet.
Sources & reporting notes
This is a summary of published reporting, not independent reporting. Details are as carried by the cited source, which was reviewed on 2026-06-13. Some developments, including arrests in Mirpur, were unconfirmed at the time of writing.
- Dawn — "Thousands rejoin AJK sit-ins after overnight dispersal"13 June 2026 · The overnight dispersal and regrouping at Rawalakot, the officials' claims, the fifth day of the shutdown strike and the reported measures against JAAC leaders.
