MUZAFFARABAD / RAWALAKOT — The rights movement that began in Pakistan-administered Kashmir has led to a second front in Pakistan’s capital — detention centres, police stations and anti-terrorism courts.
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According to a cross-check of Facebook posts, Instagram graphics, family statements and web reporting reviewed by The Azadi Times, the detentions fall into three distinct groups: Kashmiri students in the twin cities, women activists including journalists, and political organizers.
Kashmiri Students in Islamabad and Rawalpindi
The largest claim relates to students. On August 8, Dialogue Pakistan and Voiceup Pakistan shared graphics stating that former Senator Mushtaq Ahmed Khan had begun an indefinite hunger strike in jail, demanding the release of 88 detained Kashmiri students and withdrawal of cases. Another post by Mushtaq Ahmad Khan’s official account on August 12 said the number was over 90 Kashmiri students.
Instagram posts by QYM Pakistan and Memetube.pk allege the scale is even larger. One carousel posted on August 1 claims “1,700+ FIRS HAVE ALREADY BEEN FILED AGAINST PEACEFUL DEMONSTRATORS” and says police are hunting and arresting students present at the F-10 protest in Islamabad. The caption describes early-morning hostel raids at 5:30 AM, phone searches, force-deletion of protest videos and abduction of a Kashmiri roommate.
An Instagram post by Daily Rawalpindi reported a crackdown ahead of a planned student protest supporting Kashmir, citing Islami Talaba claims that hundreds of Kashmiri students were picked up from hostels and homes in Rawalpindi and Islamabad using student IDs.
On Facebook, a Kashmiri user wrote in Urdu that “being Kashmiri on an ID has become a crime” and that his brother along with three cousins were arrested in Islamabad and were not present at local police stations.
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Khawaja Saad Rafique, former federal minister, wrote on August 6 that police had raided Kashmiri student hostels in Islamabad and set up checkpoints at Bahara Kahu and Faizabad bus terminals to identify and arrest Kashmiri students from public transport. He said over 100 students remained in police custody.
Women: Azra Alam, Her Family and Other Female Students
The most prominent women’s case is that of Azra Alam.
According to a graphic shared by former deputy speaker Qasim Khan Suri, Azra Alam from Azad Kashmir, a social worker and journalist with Alnoor News, was arrested in Islamabad along with her mother and sisters while expressing solidarity with Kashmiris. The post claims she and others face charges under anti-terrorism and anti-state provisions, and that over 150 Kashmiri students were arrested in Islamabad under similar laws.
An Instagram graphic titled “KASHMIR IS BLEEDING” said social media activist Azraa Alam and her two sisters were arrested in Islamabad F-10 Markaz for expressing solidarity. A Facebook reel by Ikraam Vlogs shows a man on a hilltop with on-screen text “RELEASE AZRA ALAM Social media Activist”, alleging she was jailed for exposing atrocities in Azad Kashmir.
A more serious allegation was made in a Facebook video by Muhammad Ehsan on August 5. He claimed he received information that 17 Kashmiri girls were picked up and confined to a farmhouse, which he alleges belongs to an SHO, and said around 566 people had been detained in total, with 88 presented in an anti-terrorism court and remanded for 14 days.
A separate graphic by UET’s Einsteins reported that female Kashmiri students were reportedly detained in Rawalpindi for taking part in a peaceful protest, showing four young women in beige shalwar kameez with a Kashmir flag.
Organizers and Solidarity Protesters
Beyond students, organizers have also been reported detained.
Front Line Defenders reported that on 20 June 2026, Pakistan police detained Ahmad Farhad, a Kashmiri human rights defender, journalist and poet in Bagh City, in Pakistan-administered Azad Jammu and Kashmir. He was detained while traveling back home after covering the ongoing Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) protest in Rawalakot.
Al Jazeera reported that within days, police had arrested dozens of JAAC members and supporters, including the movement’s leader and public face, Shaukat Nawaz Mir.
In Punjab, solidarity protests have also led to arrests. Dawn reported that activists of the Haqooq-i-Khalq Party were arrested while holding a peaceful demonstration outside the press club to show solidarity with the Joint Action Committee of AJK. Later, activist Farooq Tariq thanked supporters after 51 people arrested by Lahore police were released, saying they were detained despite no Section 144 being imposed.
The Charges
The charges mentioned across posts are consistent: Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), attempted murder, anti-state activity FIRs and PECA. Families and political figures including Qasim Khan Suri and Saad Rafique have questioned the use of terrorism charges against students and journalists, with Rafique calling those advising such measures “naive friends of the state.”
As of August 13, Islamabad police and the Government of Pakistan have not published a consolidated list of detainees, nor have they issued a public rebuttal to the specific numbers circulating — 88, 150, 566 and 1,700 FIRs. The Azadi Times has not been able to independently verify the FIR numbers from court records.
The detentions come as Youm-e-Istehsal was observed on August 5, a day when Pakistan’s own government announced solidarity with Kashmiris — a contradiction pointed out by many Facebook users sharing Azra Alam’s graphic.
