Muzaffarabad [PoJK], July 5 (ANI): Police brutality by Pakistani forces on Sunday intensified against people protesting against the severe crackdown by Islamabad and the sweeping arrests of more than 600 civil rights activists in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), with reports of shelling, firing and clashes emerging from several parts of Muzaffarabad.

According to the information shared by the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) on X, security forces resorted to shelling in Muzaffarabad and damaged the motorcycles of several youths during the protests. The police and Pakistan Rangers fired tear gas shells at protesters as demonstrations continued in the city.

Reports further stated that clashes between protesters and security personnel were reported from multiple areas, including Mank Piyan, Sangi Mera, Tareeqaabad, Lower Chhatra and Beila Noor Shah.

Separate posts also stated that intense shelling and firing occurred in the Lower Chhatra area of Muzaffarabad as tensions escalated.

Tensions in the region escalated drastically today as one person was killed and several others were injured after Pakistan Rangers opened fire on protesters, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) PoJK unit said.

The Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), the rights group that called the protest on Sunday, also stated that tensions escalated across the region, noting that one person was killed and several others were injured after Pakistani security forces opened fire and used shelling against protesters in the area.

According to the JAAC, thousands of people, including women, children and the elderly, gathered at Sardar Ghulam Hussain Khan Sports Stadium in Abbaspor as part of a wider protest movement demanding basic rights and the release of detained leaders, including JAAC leader Shaukat Nawaz Mir.

The committee stated that Pakistani security forces resorted to firing and shelling to disperse peaceful demonstrators, leaving several people critically injured.

The JAAC said large protest caravans continued to reach the sit-in site in Rawalakot, while demonstrations were also held in several other areas of PoJK. It said members of the Kashmiri diaspora staged protests in Auckland, New Zealand, demanding the release of detained activists.

This planned mobilisation answers a series of heavy-handed actions by Pakistani authorities.

On June 30, the JAAC sharply criticised Islamabad after a political delegation led by opposition leaders was reportedly stopped from entering PoJK, describing the move as further evidence of the state's suppression of democratic rights and political dissent.

Activists state that Pakistani forces are currently using drones for surveillance of the people's sit-in protests, prompting local leaders to call for a complete boycott of the local elections scheduled for July 27.

The committee has called for peaceful demonstrations across PoJK, urging participants to carry white flags and demand fundamental rights while maintaining peace.

Separately, PoJK activist Amjad Ayub Mirza claimed that more than 600 JAAC workers and activists had been detained following the arrest of Shaukat Nawaz Mir and said protests against Pakistan's actions were being organised both in PoJK and abroad.

'The situation in Pakistani-occupied Jammu and Kashmir is getting worse by the hour. After the arrest of the leader of Joint Awami Action Committee Shaukat Nawaz Mir, so far more than 600 workers and activists of the committee have been arrested,' the activist said.

As this happened, global watchdog group Amnesty International strongly condemned Pakistan's heavy-handed tactics ahead of the upcoming regional elections.

Amnesty accused authorities of deploying violent measures to suppress peaceful political dissent and violate fundamental human rights, unlawfully designating the Jammu and Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) as a 'proscribed organisation'.

Amnesty fiercely criticised the ban on the civil rights coalition, labelling it a disproportionate attack on freedom of association and peaceful political activism as international pressure continues to mount against Islamabad. (ANI)