Pakistan’s Army and Rangers again opened fire on unarmed protesters in Pakistan-occupied Jammu & Kashmir (PoJK) on Friday, killing two people and injuring at least eight others in what protesters described as another attempt to suppress the growing anti-Pakistan movement in the region.
Exclusive videos accessed by ABP News show that around 70-80 protesters had gathered in Battal village of Poonch district in PoJK, located just a few metres from the Line of Control (LoC), at approximately 7:30 am. As the protesters assembled to travel towards Rawalakot, Pakistani Army and Rangers personnel deployed nearby allegedly opened fire on the crowd and launched tear-gas shells.
Visuals from the scene show smoke engulfing the area following the firing and shelling. Protesters can be seen scrambling towards nearby hilltops to save themselves as Pakistani forces continued their operation.
According to exclusive information received from the ground, Rangers fired more than 50 rounds during the incident.
Two protesters were reportedly shot directly in the chest. Videos received by ABP News show local residents carrying the critically wounded men on traditional cots towards a hospital.
Both men died from their injuries before reaching medical treatment.
The deceased have been identified as Anja and Ghulam Sarwar.
With the latest killings, the death toll linked to Pakistan’s crackdown on the protest movement has risen to 58.
The latest bloodshed comes amid growing fears of a wider operation against demonstrators gathered at Eidgah Ground, where more than 60,000 protesters are currently assembled.
Tensions escalated further after the PoJK administration issued a notification declaring 150 protesters, organisers and supporters as terrorists under Schedule-4 provisions.
Among those designated are prominent protest leaders Shaukat Nawaz Mir, Umar Nazir, Khawaja Mehran and Aman Khan.
One of the most notable names on the list is Chaudhry Tariq Mahmood of Mirpur, a UK-based activist who spent more than two decades promoting Pakistan’s position on Jammu and Kashmir and organising over 1,200 anti-India demonstrations outside the Indian High Commission in London.
Despite years of advocating Islamabad’s position, he has also been declared a terrorist after speaking out against Pakistan’s actions in PoJK.
