At least nine people — seven protesters and two security personnel — were killed in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK, a Pakistan-administered territory bordering India) on Tuesday during clashes between law enforcement and supporters of the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), a civil rights alliance that has been blocking major roads to press a list of demands on the regional government. Security forces launched clearance operations to reopen key highways in Poonch division, including the Kotli-Trarkhal road, triggering exchanges of fire that left dozens more injured. The violence comes a day before the JAAC had planned a mass march on the regional capital, Muzaffarabad, with authorities declaring they would continue operations until all blockades are removed, while internet services across the territory remain suspended.