Pak cracks down on protests in POK against rising cost of living, 20 feared dead
Quick Look
- Around 20 civilians are feared killed and around 200 injured after Pakistani security forces fired on protesters in Rawalakot and neighbouring areas of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
- Protesters demonstrated against rising electricity tariffs, wheat subsidy cuts, heavy taxation, and violence against civil rights activists.
- The death toll from months of civil unrest is estimated at more than 200, with several missing and mass detentions reported.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Months of civil unrest in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir have resulted in an estimated death toll of more than 200. Protests in Rawalakot were triggered by the Pakistani government's failure to deliver on a 38-point charter of rights, with demonstrators opposing rising electricity tariffs, wheat subsidy cuts, heavy taxation, and violence against local civil rights activists.
Around 20 civilians are feared killed, several are missing, and around 200 were injured in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir's Rawalakot and neighbouring areas, after Pakistani security forces fired on people protesting against the rising cost of living. The death toll from months of civil unrest is estimated to more than 200.
The military has been accused of using rocket-propelled grenades and drones at agitators protesting against soaring electricity tariffs, wheat subsidy cuts, heavy taxation and violence against local civil rights activists. The protesters allege that security units moved in under the cover of strict curfews to clear a sit-in site and fired indiscriminately at people at various locations.
In a video uploaded on social media, JAAC leader Sardar Umar Nazir showed that fragments of bombs were recovered after a drone strike on residential localities and accused Pakistani govt of attacking agitators from multiple directions.
Late Friday, videos from Umar Farooq Chowk in Rawalkot showed an undeterred crowd of thousands at the sit-in site, raising slogans of resistance against military and govt.
The crackdown has marked an escalation in regional tension with protests expanding to Muzaffarabad, sources said. The trigger for the prolonged demonstrations in Rawalakot has been Pakistani govt's failure to deliver on a 38-point charter of rights, sources said, adding that Pakistani authorities' use of extreme force has further alienated locals.
With several disappearances being reported, locals are also opposing against mass detentions. Social media accounts reporting the region's situation from other locations have uploaded videos showing how security blockades have brought daily life to a virtual standstill and local businesses remain shuttered.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Protests will continue to expand to additional areas such as Muzaffarabad.
Likely · Within days
Mass detentions and disappearances will continue to be reported.
Possible · Within weeks
Open Questions
- What is the exact number of civilians killed and missing?
- Who is responsible for the drone strike on residential localities?
- What is the status of the sit-in at Umar Farooq Chowk?
- Will the Pakistani government respond to the 38-point charter of rights?