Unrest has gripped the area of Muzaffarabad and Rawalkot in Pakistan-occupied
Kashmir after violent clashes, killing one police official and injuring 100s
of others, took place over the weekend. Following the violence, people in PoK
are seeking India’s help, and chanting slogans of Azadi, Roshneesh
Kmaneck reported

Chants of ‘Azadi’ ring out loud in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) while
posters demanding for a merger with India dot the streets in the region. The
area remains on edge after massive protests saw at least one police officer
dying and over 100 others being injured. Normal life has been affected as
businesses in PoK’s Muzaffarabad and Rawalkot remain shut owing to the
widespread protests and violence in the region.

But what led to this tension in PoK? Why have protests erupted in this region?
And what are authorities doing to bring back peace there?

On Friday (10 May), the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) had
called for a shutter-down and wheel-jam strike in PoK’s Muzaffarabad. The
group, which represents traders of the region, had called for the strike to
protest against rising inflation, and to demand tax-free electricity from the
Mangla Dam. Moreover, they are calling for subsidies on wheat flour and an end
to the privileges enjoyed by the elite class.

What Led To The Clashes?

Last Wednesday and Thursday, the Pakistan authorities had arrested around 70
JAAC activists during raids in Muzaffarabad. This became the catalyst for the
shutdown and strike over the weekend.

On Saturday (11 May), the members and supporters of the JAAC gave a call for a
long march towards Muzaffarabad. However, to stop the march from moving
forward, police resorted to teargas shelling, which affected people in their
homes and mosques after demonstrators pelted stones.

Videos and photos soon began circulating on social media showing police using
batons on the protesters, in an attempt to disperse the crowds. Noted security
analyst Sushant Sareen posted on X: “PoK is up in flames”.

Other videos and posts also showed Pakistan police using batons to beat the
protesters quite violently.

PoK activist Amjad Ayub Mirza was later quoted as telling news agency ANI that
Pakistani forces had shot at unarmed civilians, and at least two had been
killed in the clashes.

Meanwhile, The Dawn reported that one police official had died in the clashes
while another 90 had been injured. Mirpur Senior Superintendent of Police
(SSP) Kamran Ali told the Pakistani newspaper that Sub-inspector Adnan Qureshi
succumbed to a gunshot wound in the chest in the town of Islamgarh, where he
was deployed to stop a rally for Muzaffarabad under the banner of the Jammu
Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC).

Videos online also showed protesters, however, also hitting back. Some videos
showed protesters beating security personnel with sticks and chasing them
away.

Stone pelting and violence instigated by Pakistan were commonplace occurrences
in Kashmir back when I was the Corps Commander there.

Today Kashmir is peaceful & prospering, while POK is on the boil. See
people’s anger against their security personnel.

Following the clashes, the Awami Workers Party (AWP) slammed the crackdown on
the protesters. A statement by the AWP, as per a report in The Dawn read: “The
AWP leadership is deeply concerned about the deployment of paramilitary forces
in the area and the subsequent use of repressive tactics, including the
arbitrary arrest of hundreds of political activists. Such actions only serve
to incite further unrest among the populace.”

It denounced the use of force against the protesters, adding, “It is
distressing to see the suppression of legitimate demands, particularly those
related to the unjust taxation on electricity bills and the lack of access to
essential resources. Federal and state authorities have failed to meet local
needs despite substantial generation of electricity from power houses in the
region.”

What Next?

There’s unease in PoK on Monday after the deadly clashes with many traders
opting to keep their shutters down.

PoK’s prime minister Anwarul Haq urged the protesters not to indulge in
violence, and said he was ready to accept their demands. Moreover, the AP
reported that President Asif Ali Zardari had convened a meeting to discuss how
to calm the protests.

Pakistan prime minister Shehbaz Sharif also expressed concern over the
situation in PoK. Deeply concerned about the situation in AJK.

However, PoK activist Amjad Ayub Mirza called for an intervention by the
Indian government. He said in an interview with news agency ANI, “India cannot
remain aloof from the current situation in Pakistan-occupied Jammu Kashmir. At
the moment, our people are fighting. The whole of Pakistan-occupied Jammu
Kashmir has been shut down by peaceful protesters who are being beaten up and
shot at by the Pakistan police, Punjab police… India now should focus all its
attention on Pakistani-occupied Jammu and Kashmir and help and facilitate the
independence of this occupied territory, including Gilgit-Baltistan.”

Mirza added, “The situation is getting worse by the day. India must act. India
has to act. India must not follow the footsteps of previous governments where
they thought that by ignoring Pakistani-occupied Jammu and Kashmir it can be
business as usual. It is not business as usual. And if today the Indian
government does not step up their efforts to free PoJK and Gilgit-Baltistan
then this golden chance of our freedom will wither away.”

Have Similar Protests Occurred In PoK Earlier?

These clashes in PoK resemble the ones that took place in August 2023 . At the
time, the protesters had gathered in Rawalakot and torched thousands of
electricity bills. Their demands were similar even then: reduce the cost of
electricity and provide cheaper wheat flour.

(With Inputs From Agencies)