Kashmir in Turmoil

Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) has been in a state of near-continuous unrest since 2023, driven by the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) – a leaderless coalition of traders, transporters, lawyers and students formed around demands for economic relief and an end to what it calls “elite privilege.” The movement issued a 38-point charter of demands in 2025, and a further round of protests broke out in June 2026 after the AJK Supreme Court ruled that the region’s 12 legislative seats reserved for refugees from Indian-administered Kashmir are constitutionally protected. Days later, the AJK government banned JAAC under the Anti-Terrorism Act, and clashes in Rawalakot left at least 11 dead. Authorities have repeatedly imposed communications blackouts – suspending mobile and internet services – during periods of strikes and lockdown, most recently in June 2026, alongside closures of educational institutions and deployment of paramilitary forces.

This session is intended to unpack that situation for the team: what JAAC is actually demanding, why talks between the government and JAAC keep collapsing, and what a realistic way forward might look like – while also examining the media blackout itself as a story in its own right.

This session is free and open to all. Just visit the venue to attend it.

The Black Hole
Plot 5H, Street 100, G-11/3, Islamabad.
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