Pakistan‑occupied Kashmir Long March Planned for July 15

The Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), a civil‑rights coalition in Pakistan‑occupied Jammu and Kashmir, announced a long march to begin on 15 July, aiming to reach Muzaffarabad, the capital of Azad Kashmir. Protesters are demanding better living conditions, civil liberties and an elected local government.

The PoK administration has written to Pakistan’s interior ministry asking for roughly 4,000 additional paramilitary personnel and seven ranger battalions to reinforce the about 10,000 Pakistan Rangers already stationed in the region since early June. Authorities accuse JAAC of disruptive sit‑ins and incidents such as setting fire to food‑supply trucks.

JAAC leader Sardar Umar Nazir Kashmiri, who was injured during recent police action, said the group had pursued dialogue for days and now sees the long march as the only remaining course of action.