Azad Kashmir Unrest Death Toll Reaches 24 as Authorities Impose Region-Wide Shutdown

By June 20, 2026, the cumulative death toll from unrest in Pakistan-administered Kashmir (Azad Jammu & Kashmir) tied to the banned Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee's (JKJAAC) protest campaign reached at least 24, including 4 law enforcement personnel — a toll that had climbed from an AFP tally of 20 by June 12 and an initial count of 7. Authorities responded by shutting main roads, suspending internet and satellite services, restricting media access across much of the region, and closing banks, ATMs, and petrol stations by official order. Most businesses and markets remained shuttered. Residents reported food and medicine shortages; one resident told reporters, 'I have been searching for medicine everywhere, but I cannot find it. Even big stores are closed.' The unrest — rooted in JKJAAC's opposition to 12 assembly seats reserved for refugees living elsewhere in Pakistan — represents the deadliest bout of instability in Pakistan-administered Kashmir in years.