On Monday, September 29, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) came to a standstill after the Awami Action Committee (AAC) called for a region-wide “shutter-down and wheel-jam” strike. The protest, AAC leaders said, was not aimed at any one institution but at decades of political and economic neglect by Islamabad.
Shaukat Nawaz Mir, a senior AAC leader, told reporters in Muzaffarabad: “Our campaign is not against any institution but for the fundamental rights denied to our people for over 70 years. Enough is enough. Either deliver on rights or face the wrath of the people.”
He added that Monday’s lockdown was a direct response to government corruption, resource exploitation, and rising poverty, with elites squandering public wealth on political patronage and bribery.
Shops, businesses, and transport services remained shut, while lawyers and civil society groups openly backed the strike. The protest has also gained traction among the PoK diaspora in the US, UK, and Europe, where solidarity demonstrations are being organized to push the issue onto the international stage.
Why the people are protesting
The AAC has issued a 38-point charter of demands, reflecting years of anger and frustration. Among its central concerns is the abolition of the twelve Assembly seats reserved for Kashmiri refugees settled in Pakistan. Protest leaders argue that these seats give Islamabad disproportionate control over PoK’s politics and deny genuine local representation.
Another major grievance is the way hydropower projects have been structured. Despite PoK’s vast natural resources, local communities see little benefit, as most revenues are siphoned off by Islamabad. The AAC insists these projects must be renegotiated so that ordinary people, not political elites, actually gain from them.
The rising cost of living is also at the heart of public outrage. With inflation spiraling, families struggle to afford even basic necessities. Protesters are demanding subsidies on essentials such as flour and electricity, arguing that life in PoK has become unbearable under the current economic pressures.
Talks between AAC leaders and the government collapsed over the weekend. Negotiations broke down primarily over the refugee seats and the extravagant perks enjoyed by politicians. Ministers countered that such changes required constitutional amendments and could not be decided “in a closed room.”
The growing wave of anger
The latest strike comes amid widening unrest across PoK. Just two days earlier, on September 27, thousands marched in Kotli demanding freedom and justice. Security forces opened fire on demonstrators, injuring several, and resorted to tear gas — actions that only deepened public fury.
The Kotli protests were triggered by the murder of six-year-old Tasmia Suhail, who was found dead after being missing for three days. Her killing became a rallying point, igniting long-standing anger over inflation, unemployment, and Islamabad’s exploitation of PoK’s resources.
The discontent has been simmering for months. In Rawalakot last month, protesters openly accused Army Chief Asim Munir of acting as a “puppet of Donald Trump.” Earlier in May, violent demonstrations erupted in Muzaffarabad over soaring flour prices, crushing taxes, and skyrocketing electricity bills.
