Pakistan Threatens POK Protest Leaders With Murder Charges, Reopens 177 Cases | Exclusive

Last Updated:June 09, 2026, 15:37 IST

Pakistan’s latest move suggests authorities are preparing for a prolonged legal and political confrontation with the organisation's leadership

Pakistan’s federal government has signalled a major crackdown on leaders of the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), announcing that murder cases linked to violent protests in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) will be pursued and hundreds of old police cases reopened.

Speaking on the government’s future course of action against the protest group, Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, said all 177 First Information Reports (FIRs) registered in connection with violent incidents in October 2025 would be reopened.

Chaudhry said cases registered under Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code, dealing with intentional murder, had not been withdrawn and would now be unsealed for prosecution.

“It was made clear in the previous agreement with the Awami Action Committee that cases under Section 302 would not be dropped," the minister said, asserting that legal proceedings against those accused would continue.

According to Chaudhry, a judicial commission that was expected to investigate the October 2025 incidents could not be constituted, but that did not mean the cases had been closed. “The cases remain intact despite the delay in formation of the judicial commission and will be pursued," he said.

The minister also ruled out any fresh concessions to the Awami Action Committee, stating that the government would not accept further demands from the organisation and would not make administrative or cabinet-level changes under pressure from what he described as “violent mobs".

The remarks indicate a significantly tougher stance by the government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and come amid continuing tensions with protest groups in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, where demonstrations over governance, inflation and public grievances have periodically challenged Islamabad’s authority.

The Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee has emerged as one of the most influential protest platforms in the region in recent years, mobilising large-scale demonstrations and strikes. Pakistan’s latest move suggests authorities are preparing for a prolonged legal and political confrontation with the organisation’s leadership.

With murder charges set to be revived and hundreds of pending cases returning to the legal process, pressure on protest leaders in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is expected to intensify in the coming months.

About the Author

Manoj Gupta

Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18

News world Pakistan Threatens POK Protest Leaders With Murder Charges, Reopens 177 Cases | Exclusive

Read More