'State Wants Bloodshed': PoK Protest Leaders Claim Dialogue Has Failed, Warn Of Mass Protest
'State Wants Bloodshed': PoK Protest Leaders Claim Dialogue Has Failed, Warn Of Mass Protest Reported By, Last Updated: July 09, 2026, 14:32 IST The development
'State Wants Bloodshed': PoK Protest Leaders Claim Dialogue Has Failed, Warn Of Mass Protest Reported By, Last Updated: July 09, 2026, 14:32 IST The development comes after the expiry of the “final ultimatum” to the PoK government, demanding action on a series of political, economic and governance-related issues Rapid Read Supporters of the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) gather during a weeks-long protest in Neelum Valley, in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. (IMAGE: AFP) Tensions in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) have intensified after negotiations between the Awami Action Committee (AAC) and the PoK government ended without a breakthrough, with protest leaders accusing the state and Pakistan’s military of preferring a violent crackdown over dialogue. According to sources in the Awami Action Committee, a crucial meeting held to formulate the next phase of the movement concluded inconclusively late on Wednesday, with leaders deciding to reconvene for what they described as a “final strategy session" before announcing a large-scale protest programme. The development comes after the expiry of what the AAC had called its “final ultimatum" to the PoK government, demanding action on a series of political, economic and governance-related issues.
Committee sources made a series of sharp allegations against the authorities, claiming that “the state and Pakistan Army are seeking massacre and bloodshed, not negotiations". They alleged that despite repeated attempts by the protest movement to resolve the crisis peacefully, the government had instead opted for coercive measures. “We wanted peace and our rights, but the state decided to crush our voices," AAC sources said after the meeting. According to the committee, all dialogue initiatives undertaken over the past several days failed to produce any meaningful outcome, leaving the protest leadership with little choice but to intensify its agitation. The organisation is expected to issue a formal declaration later on Thursday outlining its future course of action. Senior Awami Action Committee leader Umer Nazir Kashmiri struck a defiant tone, saying the movement would not retreat despite mounting pressure from the authorities. “We will stand firm and sacrifice our lives if necessary," he said, according to people present at the meeting.
Another statement attributed to committee leaders said history would ultimately judge those responsible for the current standoff. “Future generations will decide who was the oppressor and who was the oppressed." The latest impasse threatens to deepen political instability in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, where public anger has been simmering for months over inflation, soaring electricity tariffs, taxation, governance issues and what residents describe as growing interference by Pakistan’s federal establishment. The Awami Action Committee emerged as the principal face of last year’s mass protests that brought thousands onto the streets across Muzaffarabad and other towns, forcing the Pakistan government to announce a financial relief package after widespread demonstrations. Although the immediate crisis had eased following those concessions, tensions resurfaced in recent weeks after the committee accused authorities of reneging on several commitments and launching fresh crackdowns on activists. The latest round of failed negotiations comes amid heightened security deployment across parts of PoK and follows a series of demonstrations demanding implementation of earlier agreements.
The BriefWire