Pakistan Rangers Vs PoK Local Police: The Rift Within Security Forces Amid Crackdown On JAAC | Exclusive

Last Updated:July 10, 2026, 16:44 IST

According to the sources, a major trust deficit has developed between the local PoK police and the federal Pakistan Rangers, affecting joint security operations across the region

A widening rift has emerged between local police in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Pakistan’s federal security establishment, with intelligence intercepts suggesting growing resistance within the local force against orders issued by the Pakistan Rangers amid the ongoing crackdown on the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), top intelligence sources told CNN-News18.

According to the sources, a major trust deficit has developed between the local PoK police and the federal Pakistan Rangers, severely affecting joint security operations across the region.

Intelligence inputs indicate that local police personnel have increasingly resisted orders to act as frontline forces or human shields for Pakistan Rangers during security operations, resulting in what sources described as a near-complete breakdown of coordinated tactical operations.

Sources further said that lower and mid-level police personnel have been reluctant to aggressively enforce the crackdown as many of their own families have been affected by soaring inflation, unemployment and food shortages in the region.

According to intelligence assessments, the resistance has largely taken the form of passive non-cooperation rather than open defiance.

Sources claimed that internal reports suggest some local police personnel have allegedly leaked Pakistan Rangers’ movement schedules and drone surveillance blind spots to JAAC organisers, undermining federal security operations.

Agencies have also tracked what they describe as a sharp increase in internal surveillance by Pakistan’s Intelligence Bureau. According to the sources, Islamabad has allegedly placed senior PoK police officials and bureaucrats under electronic surveillance, reflecting growing concerns within Pakistan’s security establishment over the possibility of a wider law enforcement mutiny.

ISI UNDER PRESSURE

The intelligence sources further claimed that Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has used the increased deployment of the Pakistan Rangers and Frontier Corps under the stated objective of maintaining law and order, while simultaneously reorganising terrorist launchpad infrastructure along sensitive sectors.

According to the sources, the ISI has allegedly begun mixing terrorist cadres with civilian populations in parts of the Neelum Valley to reduce the risk of local resistance and avoid drawing attention to their movements.

Sources said the ISI has traditionally relied on local police units for peripheral security, traffic management and administrative support during protests, while also securing areas where, according to Indian intelligence assessments, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed-linked infrastructure operates under the cover of youth camps and welfare centres.

However, as resistance within the local police force has intensified, personnel have increasingly refused to undertake such assignments, the sources claimed.

According to the intelligence inputs, several local police personnel have reportedly abandoned designated positions, exposing sensitive deployments and making them more vulnerable to international monitoring.

Sources further claimed that police stations in the strategically important Neelum and Jhelum valleys have stopped sharing routine local intelligence with the ISI, creating what they described as an operational intelligence blackout that has reduced Islamabad’s visibility over developments in border areas.

The sources added that civilian groups protesting against the proximity of alleged terrorist infrastructure to residential areas have further complicated the ISI’s ability to move terrorist cadres covertly near the Line of Control without attracting local attention.

BACKGROUND

The latest developments come amid an intensified federal crackdown following the arrest of Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) leader Shaukat Nawaz Mir.

According to reports, more than 600 civil rights workers and activists have been detained across PoK as part of the operation.

Tensions escalated on July 5 after Pakistan Rangers allegedly opened fire and used heavy shelling against protesters in Amb village in Mirpur district’s Dadyal tehsil. The incident reportedly left one person dead and at least 14 others critically injured.

The federal government has also designated the JAAC as a proscribed organisation under Pakistan’s anti-terrorism laws, a move that has drawn criticism from rights organisations, including Amnesty International.

Security agencies have additionally deployed advanced drone surveillance systems around large protest camps on the outskirts of Rawalakot, where demonstrators continue to demand the release of detained activists.

With regional legislative elections scheduled for July 27, several local leaders have called for a complete boycott of the polls, questioning the legitimacy of the electoral process, including the allocation of reserved refugee seats.

The JAAC has also issued an ultimatum, calling for a mass march to Muzaffarabad on July 15 if the federal government fails to release detained activists and withdraw additional security forces from the region.

About the Author

Manoj Gupta

Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18

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