POK protesters pause 'Long March', give deadline to Pak govt to fulfil demands

Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (POK)-based Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) has suspended its proposed "Long March" until July 21, giving the Shehbaz Sharif-led government what it described as a "final deadline" to address its demands. The group has warned that if Islamabad fails to take concrete action by the deadline, the long march towards Muzaffarabad will resume on July 22, while protest sit-ins across the POK will continue.

The announcement came after negotiations between JAAC leaders and Pakistani authorities. According to reports, the talks involved Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir. Following the discussions, JAAC leader Umar Nazir Kashmiri announced a temporary suspension of the march but stressed that the movement had not been called off.

Meanwhile, convoys of protesters continued to arrive at JAAC protest sites, with women and children participating in large numbers as demonstrations gathered momentum across the region.

Under the interim understanding reached in Rawalakot, JAAC agreed to defer the march until July 21 while sit-in protests continue across PoJK. Security forces will remain deployed in the region, authorities have reportedly agreed to gradually withdraw cases registered against protesters, and efforts have been promised to resolve the dispute over a contested legislative assembly seat.

The temporary truce followed days of escalating violence. Clashes around Rawalakot and other areas left several people dead and many others injured. JAAC has claimed that seven of its activists were killed in one incident, while broader reports have placed the overall death toll at around 28, including security personnel. The casualty figures have not been independently verified by India Today TV.

The movement had intensified after a July 14 deadline set by JAAC expired without a resolution. Thousands of supporters then mobilised for a planned march towards Muzaffarabad, with caravans converging on Rawalakot and other protest centres despite restrictions imposed by the authorities.

Protesters have accused Pakistani authorities of attempting to suppress the movement through roadblocks, internet blackouts and disruptions to essential supplies. Sit-ins continue in Rawalakot, Muzaffarabad and several other districts, while members of the Kashmiri diaspora have staged solidarity demonstrations outside Pakistani diplomatic missions in different countries.

JAAC has maintained that the suspension is only temporary and has warned that the agitation will intensify if the government does not fulfil its commitments by July 21.

The Joint Awami Action Committee has emerged as the face of a sustained anti-government protest movement in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, challenging the neighbouring country's administration over a range of political and governance issues.

While Pakistan's establishment has described JAAC as an armed and 'proscribed' organisation, the group has continued its campaign despite heavy security deployment and repeated clashes with law enforcement agencies.

The unrest has become one of the largest protest movements witnessed in PoJK in recent years. Authorities have deployed thousands of Rangers, police personnel and Frontier Corps troops to prevent protesters from advancing towards Muzaffarabad, the administrative centre of PoJK. Reports have also alleged an undeclared media blackout in Rawalakot, with journalists reportedly prevented from entering the city.

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