Former JKLF Commander Farooq Dies After Injuries in Rawalakot Protest

85‑year‑old Farooq, a former commander of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), succumbed to injuries sustained on 28 July during anti‑government protests in Rawalakot, Pakistan‑administered Kashmir. He was shot after Pakistani security forces opened fire near the town’s bus terminal and later died while receiving treatment at a hospital in Islamabad.

Farooq had a long militant background, having served in the Pakistan Army’s Special Services Group before joining the JKLF in the 1990s, where he reportedly oversaw a training camp that prepared up to 7,000 militants. The unrest, which began on 5 June, has already claimed over 100 civilian lives and sparked demands to abolish twelve refugee seats and provide subsidised electricity and wheat. Diaspora demonstrations have also taken place in Britain, highlighting the issue’s broader political resonance.