# ‘My only son was shot standing up for justice’ – inside city gripped by deadly protests in Pakistan-administered Kashmir

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/my-only-son-was-shot-standing-up-for-justice-inside-city-gripped-by-deadly-protests-in-pakistan-administered-kashmir/
- Published: 2026-08-03T03:32:21+00:00
- Updated: 2026-08-03T04:04:05+00:00
- Original publisher: BBC World (publisher lean: Centre)
- Original article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5yvqk69enko?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss
- Topics: Asia, Government, Politics, World

## Key points

- Deadly protests in Pakistan-administered Kashmir have killed dozens since late July
- Clinics overwhelmed; injured fear going to hospital amid crackdown
- JAAC and authorities dispute causes amid elections and internet blackout

## Summary

The BBC gained rare access to Rawalakot in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, where weeks of clashes between security forces and protesters from the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) have left dozens dead. The unrest matters because it is unfolding during ongoing regional elections and has left the makeshift clinics doctors like the pseudonymous "Dr Anwar" running unable to cope with the volume of gunshot casualties, while grieving families accuse authorities of firing live rounds on demonstrators demanding basic rights.

Since 27 July, Dr Anwar's clinic alone has treated 50 to 60 critically injured patients, with most of the dead and wounded reportedly aged between 15 and 35; protesters say they avoid the main hospital for fear of arrest. JAAC says its grievances centre on affordable flour, electricity prices, education and healthcare, and that an October agreement with the Pakistan and PAK governments has not been implemented, while the local government insists the group is armed, banned since June, and accused of disrupting the polls and blocking roads into the regional capital, Muzaffarabad. With internet access cut and roads restricted, independent verification has been difficult, but the BBC spoke to several bereaved families in Rawalakot, including relatives of young men killed while protesting.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.