AJK police arrest 122 over attacks on law-enforcement personnel, property damage

At least 122 people have been arrested in cases related to attacks on police personnel, injuries to law-enforcement officials and damage to public property during unrest in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Inspector General of Police (IGP) Captain (Retired) Liaquat Ali Malik said on Monday. Speaking at a press conference alongside AJK Chief Secretary Khushal Khan in Muzaffarabad, Malik said 69 FIRs had been registered against groups involved in the unrest and that 122 “disruptive elements” had so far been arrested in connection with the 2025 Chamyati incidents. He said the cases related to attacks in which police personnel were killed or injured and public property was damaged, adding that the state had exercised “patience and restraint” while attempting to resolve the situation peacefully. The IGP said the press conference was held to pay tribute to police and other law-enforcement personnel who had been killed during the unrest, as well as to their injured colleagues and families. He said the personnel had sacrificed their lives for the security and peace of Kashmir while trying to prevent armed groups from disrupting public order and “Kashmiriyat”. According to Malik, some groups had used demands for public rights as a cover to pursue personal loyalties or act at someone else’s direction. He said such groups had repeatedly called for “total closure”, attempted to hold the state hostage, attacked law-enforcement agencies and burned government property. The state had repeatedly shown “patience and restraint” and given peace a chance, including during the latest unrest, Malik said. “Despite this, up to today, no entry or exit point has been closed. Life is continuing normally, traffic is moving, and markets are open,” he said. Azad Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary Khushal Khan and Inspector General of Police Captain (Retired) Liaquat Ali Malik are addressing a news conference in Muzaffarabad#News #RadioPakistan https://t.co/Bkp9f3sbV0 — Radio Pakistan (@RadioPakistan) September 28, 2026 He said efforts to pursue an agenda aimed at disrupting the elections had failed, with elections held and an elected government subsequently formed. The IGP said the government had accepted demands it considered “reasonable” and “logical” and had continued efforts to maintain law and order peacefully. From October 1, 2025 to June 4, 2026, he said, the message accompanying every speech and activity had been “total closure”. The situation escalated again on the night of June 4-5, when law-enforcement personnel were attacked and several were killed, Malik said. “After that, to maintain the writ of the state, maintain law and order and exercise its authority, the state used the minimum use of force and tried to maintain peace,” he said. Police, Rangers, Frontier Constabulary (FC) personnel and civilians suffered casualties during the unrest, with more than 1,000 people injured, according to the IGP. “After so many sacrifices, peace is visible in Kashmir, and the police and other law-enforcement agencies are still standing firm and performing their duty for the peace of Kashmir,” he said. Malik also referred to an incident in Chamyati almost a year earlier, saying groups had similarly attempted to hold the state hostage and attacked police. Three police personnel — Constable Tahir Rafiq, Constable Muhammad Jameel and Head Constable Muhammad Khurshid — were killed by gunfire, he said. Malik added that the bodies of the martyred personnel were later desecrated and that video evidence of the incident existed. Read: PML-N's Naqi takes oath as AJK president The IGP said 409 police personnel had been subjected to violence during the unrest, with some shot and others beaten with sticks. “This is not a one-sided state narrative. Anyone can go to the Joint Awami Action Committee’s Facebook pages and see what they themselves are saying and showing,” Malik said. He said videos posted by the groups showed people expressing pride in attacks on police, the alleged desecration of bodies, the burning of government vehicles and attacks on other law-enforcement agencies. He urged people to examine what he described as the groups’ “real face” through videos posted on their Facebook pages. Malik also said some videos showed armed groups confronting the state, inciting people, attempting to disrupt the education system, calling for rebellion, attacking law-enforcement agencies and abducting or holding personnel hostage. The IGP then showed a short video prepared for the press conference depicting what he described as “violence and brutality”. He said several other graphic videos had not been shown because of ethical and media considerations. Chief Secretary Khushal Khan said the situation had deteriorated in June following a series of earlier incidents, eventually leading to a complete shutdown, strikes and road blockades across AJK. “Thank god, the people of Kashmir not only foiled this but, while cooperating with the government, we confined these disruptive elements to a very small area,” Khan said. He said the government’s writ had since been restored and an elected constitutional government had been established, with the prime minister and president having taken their oaths of office. “Our markets and public life have been restored,” he said. Read more: Man arrested during IBO for 'supplying illegal weapons' to banned JAAC in AJK: Talal Chaudhry Khan said police had remained vigilant against disruptive elements and that law-enforcement agencies had worked jointly to contain the situation. He said the press conference was also being held as the state marked one year since the deaths of law-enforcement personnel, adding that the occasion was meant to pay tribute to the martyrs. He expressed hope that the remaining gaps across Kashmir would be addressed in the coming days. Malik said the state had continued to exercise restraint despite what he described as “armed terrorism against the state”. He said the government had accepted demands it considered “reasonable” and “logical” and had continued to pursue peace while exercising its authority. “This demonstrates that the state exercises patience and restraint, but the state does not forget,” Malik said. He warned that the state did not forgive disruptive elements and that the restraint shown towards them had been temporary and in the “larger interest”. “If anyone thinks that they can wear a mask, martyr police, FC, Rangers and the state will not act or will close its eyes, that does not happen,” he said. The IGP said the state would identify and pursue those responsible for killing police and other law-enforcement personnel and injuring officials. “There can be a delay, there will be no forgiveness,” Malik said. He said those who had fired on the state would be punished according to law and “will not be forgiven”. Also Read: 47 shops destroyed as fire sweeps through Kappa Gali Bazaar in AJK   Maintaining peace and law and order remained the responsibility of police and other law-enforcement agencies, Malik said, adding that they would continue to fulfil that responsibility. The IGP paid tribute to the martyrs of Chamyati, Dhabla Courts and other incidents across AJK, saying their sacrifices had helped establish peace. He also paid tribute to the families and heirs of the fallen personnel. “We will not forget the sacrifices of our martyrs, and we will not let their blood go in vain,” Malik said. He said the bloodshed for peace in AJK would be honoured and that the state would do everything possible within the law to maintain peace and protect the lives, property and dignity of the people. He prayed for strength and courage to maintain peace and protect the lives, property and dignity of the people.   The unrest in AJK followed protests led by the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) over demands for constitutional and governance reforms, including the abolition of 12 refugee-reserved seats in the AJK Legislative Assembly, an end to privileges for the political elite and changes to the quota system. Demonstrations in September and October 2025 escalated into clashes with law-enforcement personnel, leaving at least nine people dead, including three police officers. The government and JAAC reached an agreement in October covering 12 core and 13 additional points, including the formation of a high-level committee to examine the issue of refugee representation. Tensions resurfaced in June 2026 after the government banned the JAAC, and the group called for fresh protests, with subsequent clashes in which police said four law-enforcement personnel were killed and more than 20 were injured in Rawalakot. JAAC disputed the police account and accused security forces of firing on protesters.

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