MUZAFFARABAD – Tensions persist across Azad Kashmir, and now AJK government has made an appeal to the centre for major security reinforcements, citing law and order situation.
Officials formally sought thousands of additional security personnel from Pakistan’s federal government, warning that the security environment has significantly deteriorated. According to an official letter sent by the Azad Kashmir Home Department to Pakistan’s Ministry of Interior, the regional government has requested the immediate deployment of 4,000 personnel from the Federal Constabulary, along with seven wings of the Pakistan Rangers, to help restore order across the territory.
The government said the urgent request comes in response to what it describes as escalating protest activities allegedly linked to the banned Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC), which it claims have disrupted law and order in multiple districts.
The official communication also paints a grim picture of the security situation, claiming that four security personnel were killed in the line of duty while 174 others sustained injuries during the unrest. Authorities further cited the ongoing sit-in at Rawalakot and continuing demonstrations in several other districts as key factors behind the appeal for federal assistance.
In addition to requesting reinforcements, the Azad Kashmir government has asked that the incoming personnel be fully equipped with weapons and anti-riot gear to effectively respond to the evolving situation.
Declaring the circumstances increasingly serious, the Home Department has stressed that the immediate deployment of additional federal forces is essential to maintain public order and prevent further escalation.
The reported developments come as authorities intensify efforts to contain unrest across Azad Kashmir, with attention now turning to Islamabad’s response to the request for one of the largest recent federal security deployments in the region.
Tensions escalated in Poonch district as clashes between protesters and law enforcement personnel during an operation to clear road blockades for a food convoy left at least two people dead and several others injured.
