Why has Pakistan-administered Kashmir erupted in protest again?
Key Takeaways
- A four-day complete shutdown in Pakistan-administered Kashmir has led to violent clashes, resulting in at least nine deaths, including three police officers.
- The federal government has sent a negotiating committee to Muzaffarabad to meet with the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), the protest organizers.
- Authorities have imposed a communications blackout, cutting off mobile and internet access across the region since September 28.
- The JAAC-led protests stem from a failure by the government to fully implement agreements made after earlier demonstrations over economic issues like electricity tariffs and flour prices.
- The region, known as Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), is semi-autonomous and the center of a long-standing territorial dispute between India and Pakistan.
An uneasy calm prevails in Pakistan-administered Kashmir as a complete shutdown, organized by the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), enters its fourth day, resulting in at least nine deaths, including police officers, during violent confrontations. The federal government has responded by sending a negotiating committee to the capital, Muzaffarabad, to engage with the JAAC, which represents traders and civil society groups demanding action on a 38-point agenda. The government has also imposed a communications blackout, severely restricting access to mobile and internet services since September 28, leaving the region's four million residents in uncertainty. This current crisis is the latest escalation in a two-year confrontation rooted in economic grievances, initially sparked by skyrocketing electricity bills and flour shortages dating back to May 2023. Although previous protests in May 2024 led to concessions from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif regarding flour and electricity prices, the peace was temporary, leading to this renewed, broader mobilization in September. The region, known locally as Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), remains semi-autonomous but is the focal point of a long-standing territorial dispute between Pakistan and India.
