PoK Erupts in Historic Uprising: Thousands Rally for Overhaul of Oppressive System
Muzaffarabad, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir – In a bold display of collective resolve, residents of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) took to the streets Monday in what may become one of the territory’s most significant mobilizations in decades. Led by the Awami Action Committee (AAC), the protests center on a sweeping “shutter-down and wheel-jam” action that could extend indefinitely, amplifying longstanding grievances over governance and economic inequities.
The escalation has prompted a stern response from Islamabad, which mobilized thousands of troops and suspended internet services starting at midnight to disrupt organizer coordination. Security convoys, heavily armed and originating from Punjab, conducted flag marches through key urban centers over the weekend, while additional reinforcements sealed off access routes to major cities and heightened monitoring near critical sites.
The AAC, an influential civil society coalition that has surged in prominence lately, drew crowds with its comprehensive 38-point agenda. At the forefront: scrapping the 12 assembly seats allocated to Kashmiri refugees in Pakistan, a provision critics say distorts local representation. Further calls include government-subsidized wheat flour, equitable electricity rates linked to output from the Mangla Dam, and fulfillment of stalled administrative overhauls pledged by the federal capital.
“This movement targets no specific entity it’s a quest for the basic entitlements withheld from our communities for more than seven decades,” proclaimed AAC spokesperson Shaukat Nawaz Mir to throngs in Muzaffarabad. “The time for patience has passed. Grant us our due, or contend with the people’s unyielding demand for justice,” Mir urged.
Tensions peaked after protracted negotiations unraveled. A 13-hour session involving AAC representatives, PoK officials, and national cabinet members ended in deadlock, as the group held firm against concessions on dismantling elite perks and those contested legislative allocations. “Those discussions fell short and yielded nothing,” Mir stated, reaffirming commitment to the full strike.
Local authorities, meanwhile, bolstered ranks with 1,000 officers dispatched from Islamabad to support regional units. The measures, they claim, safeguard stability amid rising unrest. “Upholding calm rests on the shared duties of the public and officials,” District Magistrate Mudasser Farooq told The Dawn, cautioning that any interference with daily routines would not be tolerated.
As the region braces, traders in Muzaffarabad opted to extend business hours Sunday, enabling residents to secure provisions ahead of the impasse. Social media clips, captured before the blackout, depict streams of military vehicles flooding streets, stoking fears of escalated enforcement. Yet AAC figures maintain the outpouring will remain nonviolent, though resolute.
With communication lines severed and fortifications in place, the unfolding events signal a potential watershed in PoK’s protracted bid for equitable self-rule. Neither protesters nor enforcers show signs of retreat, raising the specter of a clash whose echoes could extend well beyond the area’s rugged terrain.