In the first week of June 2026, there was such an uproar in Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (POJK) that the eyes of the whole world were fixed there. On the roads where people used to queue up for ‘Chinese noodles’, now lakhs of people were shouting – bus, bus and bus. Pakistani Army, Rangers, Punjab Police and local police opened fire on the unarmed protesters. About 30 people were killed and more than 200 were injured. After this, more than 1.5 lakh protesters took to the streets. Why did such a big rebellion happen? Who is the face of this bloody action and why is the whole world troubled by this situation?

The seeds of rebellion were growing since a year ago

The immediate reason for the outbreak of this rebellion was the elections to be held in PoJK. Elections were to be held here on 27 July 2026, but there was a dispute regarding 12 seats. These 12 seats were reserved for ‘refugees’ i.e. those who fled Indian Kashmir in 1947. People who do not live in PoJK themselves could contest elections on the seats here. The Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) called it a ‘violation of local representation’ and demanded a complete boycott.

Instead of talking to JAAC, the Pakistani government banned the organization under the Anti-Terrorism Act on June 5, 2026, started arresting its leaders, and shut down the internet in entire areas. This move fueled anger.

9 June 2026: The day when blood spilled on the streets

On June 9, the day of JAAC’s protest march, the situation went out of control. Instead of hundreds, lakhs of people took to the streets. There was Jalsa everywhere in Rawalakot, Muzaffarabad, Kotli, Dadiyal, Mirpur and Bhimbar. The situation had reached its peak a day earlier, on June 8, when protesters had surrounded the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) of Rawalakot.

According to the police administration, since June 6 till now, four security personnel (three policemen and one Frontier Constabulary) have lost their lives in firing by violent elements. In response, the police fired live ammunition and tear gas shells. There were reports of at least 14 to 22 deaths in the overnight crackdown on June 8.

Liaqat Ali Malik: Who is the face of this violence?

The biggest question is who is the commander of this entire bloody game and the answer is – Retired Captain Liaqat Ali Malik. Malik is the 47th Director General of Police (IGP) of PoJK. He was appointed to this post only in February 2026. This appointment was highly controversial as he was a junior officer of ‘BPS-20’ in Punjab Police, while his senior and competent Kashmiri officer (BPS-21) was present. According to Pakistani newspaper ‘Dawn’, local officials had expressed anger over their ‘negligence’.

Lahore hospital controversy: A case that expressed humanity

Malik was already in controversies just before this incident. It was December 2023, when his father was admitted in a private hospital in Lahore. It is said that he had a fight with the doctors over the delay in the report and the bill. The next news came that he put his entire CIA police team in the hospital. The police took the doctors, paramedical staff and patients present there hostage and beat them up, snatched the cameras and mobiles of the journalists and confiscated the CCTV VCR.

As the uproar increased, the then Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi immediately took action and removed him from the post and made him Officer on Special Duty (OSD). But the surprising thing is that without conducting any investigation, he was reinstated in just 10-12 days. This means that even after committing such a big crime, no FIR was registered against him.

Warlord of power: Favorite officer of the army and government

Malik is not just a police officer, he has been the face of suppressing political opposition in Pakistan’s Punjab province. When jailed Imran’s party PTI protested in 2025, the Punjab Police led by Malik brutally cracked down. More than 800 activists were arrested and 11 MPs were put in jail.

According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), there were more than 400 deaths in suspicious ‘police encounters’ in Punjab alone in 2025. The opposition alleged that these ‘encounters’ had become a substitute for the judicial process.

Bullets on the unarmed: a massacre or something else?

Human Rights Commission Pakistan (HRCP) and Amnesty International expressed deep concern over this massacre and said, ‘The lives of both protesters and law enforcement agencies are being lost. The government should immediately de-escalate and conduct an impartial investigation. HRCP strongly criticized the ban imposed on JAAC, calling it ‘restricting democratic space’.

More than 40 MPs in the UK demanded intervention in the matter. India has also slammed Pakistan and requested the international community to pay attention to these human rights violations.