The situation remained tense across parts of Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) on Monday after fresh clashes erupted between workers of the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) and security forces in Muzaffarabad, according to ANI, as India accused Pakistan of attempting to conceal its handling of the unrest.
Responding to reports of violence in the region, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said New Delhi had observed a "pattern of fake news and videos emanating from Pakistan" aimed at covering up its internal failings and diverting attention from alleged human rights abuses.
"We continue to see in this context, a pattern of fake news and videos emanating from Pakistan. It is a desperate attempt by Pakistan to cover up its own failings and deflect attention away from its human rights abuses," the MEA said in a statement.
"There are reports of severe police brutality in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir in which several protestors have been killed and many injured. We hope the international community will hold Pakistan accountable for its misdeeds and abuses," it added.
Markets across Muzaffarabad remained shut amid heightened tensions and a strike call by the protest group.
According to Reuters, at least 11 people were killed and more than 70 injured during clashes between protesters and law enforcement agencies ahead of a planned protest.
The news agency reported that supporters of the JAAC, an alliance advocating economic and political rights, had gathered outside a hospital morgue after a fellow member died in alleged police firing.
The confrontation later escalated into one of the deadliest episodes in the region in recent years.
#WATCH | The situation remains grim in parts of Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir following fresh clashes between workers of the Joint Awami Action Committee and security forces in Muzaffarabad. Markets have been shut down across the city. pic.twitter.com/s75tU2zzxE
— ANI (@ANI) June 9, 2026
Quoting a local police commissioner, Reuters reported that four police officers and a passerby were killed after miscreants opened fire.
"As the result of the law enforcers' response, six protesters were killed," Police Chief Liaqat Malik said.
The JAAC has called for a strike to protest the reservation of 12 seats for refugees in the July 27 elections to the region's 45-member legislative assembly.
The group is demanding the abolition of these reserved seats, arguing that they are contested by candidates residing outside Kashmir but elsewhere in Pakistan.
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On Friday, the regional administration designated the JAAC a proscribed organisation under anti-terrorism legislation and advised both domestic and foreign tourists to leave the region ahead of the June 9 protest.
The latest violence comes against the backdrop of mass demonstrations led by the JAAC over the past two years against rising flour and electricity prices, several of which have turned deadly following confrontations with security forces.
The unrest has also renewed international attention on conditions in PoJK, with India using the latest episode to highlight what it describes as Pakistan's record of suppressing dissent and violating the rights of residents in the region.
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