Mirpur Clash: JAAC Supporters, Police Clash Amid Rawalakot Unrest

The Pakistan Times — Islamabad, July 28, 2026

Clash Between JAAC Supporters and Police in Mirpur Leaves at Least One Dead, Amid Wider Unrest in Rawalakot

A violent clash between supporters of the banned Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) and police in Mirpur has left at least one person dead and two injured, according to a senior police official, in an incident that followed a day of separate deadly unrest in nearby Rawalakot. Accounts of what happened in Mirpur differ sharply between police and JAAC representatives, and casualty figures across the broader unrest remain contested and unverified.

Police Account of the Mirpur Clash

A senior Mirpur police officer, speaking to BBC Urdu on condition of anonymity, said that on Tuesday morning a number of JAAC workers gathered at Mirpur's main commercial area in what the officer described as an act of solidarity with the previous evening's violence in Rawalakot, and attempted to forcibly shut down shops in the area. According to the officer's account, when police tried to stop the group, the JAAC workers opened fire, resulting in one death and two injuries among the protesters. The officer said the condition of the injured was not life-threatening.

JAAC's Account Differs Sharply

JAAC core committee member Abid Shaheen offered a contrasting version of events, telling BBC Urdu that the organisation's workers had gathered at Mirpur's Shuhada Chowk to protest the deaths of JAAC members in the Rawalakot incident a day earlier, and alleged that law enforcement personnel opened fire on the demonstrators. Shaheen claimed the Mirpur incident resulted in multiple deaths, a figure that differs from the police account and could not be independently verified at the time of publication.

Backdrop: Violence in Rawalakot

The Mirpur clash followed separate, larger-scale unrest in Rawalakot on Monday, which coincided with the first phase of AJK Legislative Assembly elections in Mirpur Division. According to a statement carried by Radio Pakistan, JAAC supporters attempting to march toward Rawalakot opened fire when stopped by law enforcement and later attacked a security checkpoint on the city's outskirts, an assault in which a Rangers sepoy, identified as Ali Raza, was killed and three police personnel were injured. The same official statement said protesters set fire to one Rangers vehicle and one police vehicle, and that law enforcement agencies exercised restraint despite what it called severe provocation.

JAAC has presented a markedly different account of the Rawalakot violence, accusing security forces of using lethal force against demonstrators. According to JAAC representatives cited by The Express Tribune, the group's death toll claims from the incident have shifted over the course of reporting, with figures ranging from five to as many as nine reported by different JAAC statements, and separate reports citing community and hospital sources placing the toll as high as 21. AJK police have not confirmed any fatalities on their side of the ledger from the Rawalakot incident, with officials saying verification would only be possible once bodies are received by hospitals and post-mortem procedures are completed.

A Pattern of Disputed Casualty Figures

Both the Mirpur and Rawalakot incidents follow a broader pattern seen throughout the unrest, which began in early June 2026 over JAAC's demand for the abolition of 12 AJK assembly seats reserved for Kashmiri refugees residing elsewhere in Pakistan. In earlier rounds of violence, including clashes in Dadyal tehsil and previous unrest in Rawalakot, police and JAAC have consistently offered conflicting casualty figures, with authorities generally disputing or declining to confirm deaths that JAAC has claimed. A police spokesperson has separately accused JAAC-linked social media accounts of circulating edited videos and misinformation intended to mislead the public and incite unrest, an allegation JAAC has not directly addressed.

Context of the Election

The Mirpur and Rawalakot violence occurred as polling for the first phase of AJK's Legislative Assembly elections concluded across the 13 constituencies of Mirpur Division on Monday evening. JAAC, which was banned by authorities in June under anti-terrorism laws, had called for a boycott of the vote.

What Comes Next

According to authorities, an investigation into both the Mirpur and Rawalakot incidents is expected, with police stating that indiscriminate action will be taken against those found responsible for violence, arson, or attacks on law enforcement. JAAC has not indicated whether it intends to continue demonstrations following Monday and Tuesday's violence.

Read More:>>>AJK Elections 2026: Unofficial Results From Mirpur Division

Sources: BBC Urdu, Radio Pakistan, The Express Tribune, Arab News

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