Headline Strike Paralyses Pakistan-Administered Kashmir as Protests and Police Clashes Leave 11 Dead
Pakistan-administered Kashmir came to a complete standstill on Tuesday as cities and towns across the region shut down in response to a general strike called by the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), a civil society alliance. Clashes were also reported between protesters and security forces.
At least 11 people were killed in the city of Rawalakot on Sunday night during confrontations between protesters and security personnel. The incident prompted authorities to intensify their crackdown. The regional government has ordered sedition cases to be registered against four prominent JAAC leaders and announced a bounty of 10 million rupees for their arrest. The group had already been banned on Friday.
The strike is rooted in opposition to a decision reserving 12 seats for refugees in the July 27 elections to Kashmir’s legislative assembly. These seats are open to candidates residing not in Kashmir but in other parts of Pakistan. The JAAC has been protesting this arrangement.
Muzaffarabad resident Zahid Amin described the city of 550,000 as completely deserted — every shop, every market, every street shut down. Only police vehicles were visible on the roads throughout the day.
Amnesty International, in a statement, said the crackdown on protests — which includes an internet shutdown, mass arbitrary arrests, and the deadly use of force — represents an alarming deterioration of human rights in the region. Pakistan’s interior ministry and Kashmiri government authorities have so far not issued any comment on the matter.
Another Muzaffarabad resident, Mohammad Aziz, urged the government to send senior officials and engage in dialogue. “These people are not against Pakistan,” he said. “They are simply asking for their own rights.”
Pakistan-administered Kashmir and Indian-administered Kashmir have remained a disputed territory between the two neighbouring countries since independence in 1947. Over the past two years, the JAAC had also led large-scale protests against rising flour and electricity prices — demonstrations that similarly turned violent amid clashes with security forces.
