The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government has ordered all residents holding weapon licenses to register them at the nearest police station within 10 days. The AJK Home Department issued a notification stating that the president of Azad Jammu and Kashmir approved this measure to ensure public safety and maintain law and order.
The directive applies to all types of weapon licenses, regardless of where they were originally issued. Station house officers or their designated representatives are tasked with recording the details of each license and providing registration slips to the holders. Police stations are also required to send daily consolidated lists of these registered licenses to the relevant deputy commissioners, district magistrates, or superintendents of police.
The notification warns that any license not registered within 10 days of its publication will be treated as cancelled, no matter where it was issued. Furthermore, the government stated that anyone found with weapons or ammunition without a registered license will face legal proceedings, which will invariably result in arrest and confiscation of the weapon.
This move follows months of unrest in the region earlier this year that resulted in the deaths of several civilians and police personnel, leading to a curfew. The unrest was sparked by protests from the Jammu and Kashmir Awami Action Committee (JAAC) seeking constitutional and governance reforms, such as ending privileges for the political elite, changing the quota system, and abolishing 12 refugee-reserved seats in the AJK Legislative Assembly.
Clashes during demonstrations in September and October 2025 left at least nine people dead, including three police officers. In October, the government and the JAAC reached an agreement on 12 core and 13 additional points, including a high-level committee to examine refugee representation.
Tensions returned in June after the AJK government banned the JAAC, which then called for new protests. Police reported that subsequent clashes in Rawalakot left four law-enforcement personnel dead and more than 20 injured, though the JAAC disputed this account and accused security forces of firing on protesters. In June, the government also declared the JAAC a proscribed organization.
