'White Flags Met With Bullets': Awami Action Committee Says 37 Killed In PoK's Rawalakot Bloodbath

Published 29 July 2026 · health

'White Flags Met With Bullets': Awami Action Committee Says 37 Killed In PoK's Rawalakot Bloodbath Reported By, Last Updated: July 29, 2026, 14:54 IST AAC

'White Flags Met With Bullets': Awami Action Committee Says 37 Killed In PoK's Rawalakot Bloodbath Reported By, Last Updated: July 29, 2026, 14:54 IST AAC leaders maintained that the movement remained peaceful & centred on demands for improved healthcare, education, medical facilities and an end to an “unequal governance system” Rapid Read The violence comes amid heightened tensions in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The Awami Action Committee (AAC) has alleged that at least 37 people were killed and more than 400 injured after Pakistani security forces opened fire on what it described as a peaceful ‘Long March’ in Rawalakot in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Addressing a press conference, AAC leader Umar Nazir Kashmiri claimed the march, which began after a call for protests on July 27, was intended to travel from Rawalakot to Muzaffarabad and drew hundreds of thousands of participants. “Our peaceful long march was moving toward Rawalakot, and from there it was meant to proceed to Muzaffarabad.

The entire world witnessed that our protesters were present in numbers reaching hundreds of thousands. Despite such large numbers, our protesters advanced in a disciplined and peaceful manner, holding white flags—flags of peace," Kashmiri said. He alleged that Pakistani security forces responded with excessive force. “Despite this peaceful demonstration, Pakistani forces reacted in an extremely brutal, cruel and oppressive manner. Bullets were fired at defenceless civilians, and modern weaponry was deployed against them," he said. According to Kashmiri, 37 people were killed during Sunday’s violence, while over 400 others sustained gunshot injuries. He further alleged that the crackdown continued on Monday, claiming additional deaths at Rawalakot’s bus terminal and Chandni Chowk, where sit-in protests were underway. Kashmiri also alleged that a local trader, identified as Sardar Farooq, was shot while travelling to a supply market. “It appears that anyone seen moving in the city is being shot at," he alleged, adding that similar violence had also been reported from Mirpur, where protesters were demonstrating against what he described as state repression.

Kashmiri maintained that the movement remained peaceful and centred on demands for improved healthcare, education, medical facilities and an end to what he termed an unequal governance system. “Our struggle is not against Pakistan or any institution. It is purely for our fundamental rights," he said. The AAC leader thanked Pakistani Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan for attempting to reach the region and expressed gratitude to religious scholars who had passed a resolution supporting the movement. He also announced that members of the Kashmiri diaspora would organise a “Million March" on July 30 to protest the alleged use of force against civilians. “No matter the degree of oppression and force used against us, we will continue our peaceful struggle," Kashmiri said. The violence comes amid heightened tensions in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, where protests over governance, public services and economic issues have intensified in recent months.