News
Aug 14 , 2026
Azad Kashmir Police Say Outlawed Protest Group Kidnapped Eight Cops on Election Duty
Islamabad: Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Police on Thursday accused the outlawed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) protest group of kidnapping eight cops during the recently held elections in the region, warning them that the state’s tolerance should not be mistaken for its weakness.
Elections for the 53-member Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly were held in three phases because of security concerns and heavy monsoon rains. The campaign has been overshadowed by weeks of protests led by the banned civil rights movement JAAC. The group opposes the constitutional allocation of 12 assembly seats reserved for refugees from Indian-administered Kashmir living elsewhere in Pakistan.
JAAC’s protests have triggered clashes with security forces since the past two months, drawing international attention and calls for calm from Pakistani political parties. The Jammu Kashmir Human Rights Observatory (JKHRO), an independent rights organization, said earlier this month that it had verified 89 civilian deaths linked to the unrest between June5 and August 5. The AJK government denies the allegations and says security forces did not cause the deaths of any protesters. The government has also accused JAAC of attacking law enforcers and killing security officials, which denies the allegations.
AJK Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Rawalakot Khawar Ali Shaukat told reporters at a news conference that the people of the region had opposed the violent practices of the JAAC by casting their votes in the recently held polls.
“To hold these elections peacefully, the security forces that were deployed were not only attacked by the banned Joint Awami Action Committee members, but eight highway police personnel who were deployed on election duty were also kidnapped,” Shaukat said.
“Those cops were tortured and an inhumane behavior was adopted toward them,” he added.
Shaukat alleged that JAAC members have warned the families of the kidnapped police officers that if their demands are not met, then they would be executed.
The police official said the JAAC seeks to weaken state institutions and destroy the region’s peace. He cautioned the banned group to immediately release the kidnapped highway police officers.
“The state will not accept any sort of pressure for the lives and security of these officials,” Shaukat said. “If any kind of harm is done to these kidnapped officers, if any hurdle is placed in their release or if their family members are further threatened, then the state will not show any leniency toward you.”
The JAAC has so far not responded to the allegations.
Reserved Seats Dispute
The dispute between the JAAC and the regional government centers on 12 legislative seats reserved for people displaced from Indian-administered Kashmir since the end of British colonial rule. The JAAC argues that the arrangement gives disproportionate political influence to people living outside Azad Kashmir and has demanded the seats be abolished.
The seats were created to provide political representation to people displaced from Indian-administered Kashmir who settled elsewhere in Pakistan.
Elections in Azad Kashmir were held in three phases. Polls in Mirpur Division were held on July 27, while in the Muzaffarabad Division polling was held on August 2. Voting for the 12 seats reserved for refugees from Indian-administered Kashmir was also held on August 2.
The final phase of polling was held in three constituencies of District Bagh and one constituency of District Haveli on August10. However, the AJK Election Commission announced that voting in Districts Sudhanoti and Poonch, which were slated to be held on August 10, were delayed over security reasons.
Pakistan’s ruling Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) party has already secured a majority and is expected to form the regional government for the first time in a decade after winning 24 of the 34 seats decided in the first two phases of voting.
The Pakistan Peoples Party has accused the ruling party of vote rigging, charges that the PML-N rejects. - Arab News
Courtesy Arab News
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