India, June 9 -- Pakistani security forces opened fire on protesters in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) this week, killing several people and injuring scores more in a crackdown that sources in Kashmir described as among the territory's most violent in recent memory - and one that cuts sharply against Pakistan Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir's posture as Kashmir's self-appointed champion.

The immediate trigger was the banning of the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) on June 6 under anti-terrorism legislation. This move, sources in Kashmir said, amounted to criminalising a civil rights movement.

Founded in September 2023, the JAAC is a coalition of traders, transporters, lawyers and student groups that has become the most credible ...