Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoK) is witnessing one of its largest protest waves in decades against the Shehbaz Sharif government, with the Awami Action Committee (AAC) launching a region-wide “shutter-down and wheel-jam” strike on Monday. The movement, which could turn indefinite, has triggered massive security deployments and a midnight internet blackout as Islamabad scrambles to contain unrest.
The AAC, a fast-rising civil society coalition, has mobilised thousands, accusing Pakistan of decades of political marginalisation and economic exploitation. Its 38-point charter calls for structural reforms, including scrapping 12 PoK assembly seats reserved for Kashmiri refugees living in Pakistan, subsidised flour, fairer power tariffs linked to the Mangla dam project, and long-pending administrative reforms.
“Our campaign is not against any institution but for the fundamental rights denied to our people for over 70 years,” said AAC leader Shaukat Nawaz Mir in Muzaffarabad.
The protests follow the collapse of marathon talks between AAC leaders, PoK authorities, and federal ministers after 13 hours of negotiations failed to resolve core demands.
Islamabad has since responded with force: convoys of heavily armed troops staged flag marches, police sealed city borders, and an additional 1,000 officers were flown in from the capital. Officials maintain the measures are necessary to preserve order, warning against disruptions to public life.
On the ground, residents stocked up on food and essentials ahead of the shutdown, while videos online show crowds chanting against Pakistan’s control of the region, raising fears of a prolonged standoff.
