Tensions are boiling over in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) after at least eight people were killed when Pakistani Rangers opened fire on protesters during demonstrations on Monday. The violence comes one week before a large protest is going to be organized by anti-government demonstrators in Muzaffarabad, heightening fears of further unrest.
According to local media, security personnel first deployed tear gas to disperse demonstrators at the Rawalakot bus stand before firing live ammunition. The protesters were mostly women, and photographs posted on social media showed panic as there was thick smoke in the air and people ran for safety.
Witnesses reported seeing injured protesters being carried away from the clashes as security forces continued their operation. Fresh firing from Sudhanoti as well, suggesting that the crackdown was not limited to Rawalakot but also hit many other districts in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
The recent violence is a major escalation in an anti-government revolt that has galvanized people in the past few weeks. Protests have spread across Rawalakot, Muzaffarabad, Bagh, Kotli, Mirpur, Hattian Bala and many other areas and thousands of people have rallied against the Pakistani government.
The demonstrations are led by the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), which started protesting against high electricity tariffs, rising wheat prices and shortages of essential commodities. But the movement has slowly turned into a political protest campaign that demands better governance, more political representation, job opportunities and a long-term solution for what protesters claim is decades of economic exploitation and administrative discrimination against Islamabad.
Organisers have announced a huge march to Muzaffarabad, calling it a turning point in the movement. The protest leaders say hundreds of thousands of people will join the rally but police are heavily deployed and restrictions are being put on them by Pakistani authorities.
The movement’s largest public gathering in Rawalakot’s Eidgah Ground was held earlier this month, and JAAC leader Sardar Aman Khan has made strong statements against Islamabad. He alleged that Pakistan had systematically denied the people of the region their political and economic rights and authorities were trying to weaken the movement by restricting food supplies and essential commodities.
Pakistan authorities have intensified measures to contain the protests in the past weeks. JAAC has been banned under anti-terrorism laws, criminal cases have been registered against some protest leaders, internet services have been suspended in some areas and roadblocks have been erected to prevent demonstrators from reaching Muzaffarabad. Protest organizers also claimed that many activists have been detained and excessive force has been used against peaceful protesters.
India has made it very clear it has strongly criticized Pakistan’s handling of the unrest. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the demonstrations were manifestations of years of deprivation of fundamental rights, economic exploitation and administrative oppression in areas under Pakistan’s control. Delhi has accused Islamabad of responding to legitimate public grievances with police action, internet blackouts, restrictions on essential supplies and the use of lethal force against civilians.
India has also said it will urge the international community to take note of the human rights situation in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and hold Pakistan accountable.
Even then, the situation in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is still very volatile ahead of the planned Muzaffarabad march and after the deadly crackdown has started, the protest leaders have refused to back down and a potentially larger stand-off between demonstrators and Pakistani security forces has started. As political tension in the region continues to escalate, the situation will be closely watched.
