Islamabad, Pakistan – An uneasy calm has settled over Pakistan-administered Kashmir, where the region is currently experiencing its fourth consecutive day of a total shutdown, following violent clashes that have resulted in at least 15 fatalities, including three police officers. As tensions escalate, dozens more have sustained injuries on both sides, exacerbating an already volatile situation.
The federal government has dispatched a negotiating committee to Muzaffarabad, the capital of the territory, in an attempt to engage in critical talks with the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC). This coalition, representing traders and civil society groups, has emerged as a key voice for grassroots discontent across the region.
Organized by activist Shaukat Nawaz Mir, the JAAC’s lockdown began on September 29, effectively paralyzing various districts in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, known locally as Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). To further complicate matters, the government imposed a total communications blackout, cutting off residents from mobile telecommunications and internet access since September 28.
In Muzaffarabad, what was once a bustling marketplace is now a ghost town, with street vendors absent and public transport non-existent. The shutdown has left the region’s four million residents in a state of uncertainty, as local authorities strive to restore order. In a statement, the government urged citizens not to be swayed by what it termed as “propaganda” and “fake news” circulating on social media as part of a “specific agenda.”
This latest protest marks the third major mobilization in just two years, igniting after the government failed to address the JAAC’s 38-point demands. The current crisis represents a significant escalation in a two-year confrontation between the local government in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and a grassroots movement that has demonstrated its street power repeatedly.
What sparked the protests? The picturesque yet contentious Himalayan region of Kashmir has been a flashpoint of conflict between Pakistan and India since both nations gained their independence from British colonial rule in 1947. The region is claimed in its entirety by India, while Pakistan maintains control over parts of it, with China also administering sections in the north.
With a population exceeding four million, according to the 2017 census, Pakistan-administered Kashmir operates under a semi-autonomous system with its own prime minister and legislative assembly. The current unrest can be traced back to May 2023, when residents first took to the streets to protest rising electricity bills. Complaints also surfaced regarding rampant flour smuggling and acute shortages in subsidized wheat supplies.
By August 2023, these grievances coalesced into a more organized resistance. In September of the same year, hundreds of activists convened in Muzaffarabad to officially establish the JAAC, uniting representatives from various districts across the region. Tensions reached a boiling point in May 2024, when protesters marched toward Muzaffarabad, resulting in violent clashes that left at least five dead, including a police officer.
Although the protests temporarily subsided when Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif agreed to address key demands such as slashing flour prices and reducing electricity tariffs, the peace was fleeting. In August 2025, the JAAC announced another lockdown, expanding its critique beyond economic issues.
The JAAC’s latest charter of demands encompasses 38 distinct points, including the provision of free education and healthcare, the initiation of major infrastructure projects, and reforms to the provincial legislature. However, the abolition of what the JAAC describes as “ruling elite privileges” remains a top priority. This demand has been a recurring theme in previous grievances.
The JAAC argues that following the May 2024 protests, the government acknowledged the need to form a judicial commission to review the privileges afforded to high-ranking officials. These privileges include multiple government-provided vehicles, personal staff, and unlimited fuel allowances.
Another significant demand is the abolition of 12 reserved seats for refugees in the autonomous region’s legislative assembly. The JAAC contends that refugees and their descendants, who migrated from Indian-administered Kashmir after the 1947 partition, now form a powerful political bloc that monopolizes development funds.
The JAAC is also calling for the withdrawal of legal cases against activists stemming from the protests of 2023 and 2024, alongside demands for tax exemptions and improved employment opportunities. Infrastructure development is high on the JAAC’s agenda, including proposals for new tunnels and bridges to connect the mountainous region with the rest of Pakistan, as well as plans for a functional international airport in Muzaffarabad.
The local government’s response has been to implement a communications blackout and indefinitely close educational institutions. More controversially, authorities have called for the deployment of paramilitary forces and additional police from other parts of Pakistan. The JAAC has objected to this increased military presence, asserting that local police are sufficient to manage the situation.
Finance Minister Abdul Majid Khan has acknowledged that while negotiations have occurred, a new committee has arrived in Muzaffarabad specifically to address the protesters’ grievances. He emphasized that while the government has agreed to many of the JAAC’s demands, discussions remain deadlocked on two particularly contentious issues: the elimination of the reserved seats for refugees and the “ruling elite perks.”
Khan defended the need for reserved seats, pointing out the historical context of the families who migrated from India in search of better opportunities, only to face poverty upon arrival. He questioned the logic of renewed protests given the government’s efforts to meet previous demands, noting that many current issues require federal funding from Islamabad.
As negotiations continue, the situation remains precarious. Thursday’s discussions between government representatives and JAAC members concluded without resolution, with further talks anticipated on Friday. Despite both sides expressing a commitment to dialogue, deep-seated distrust lingers after a history of unfulfilled promises.
While the government claims to have met most demands, they assert that constitutional and electoral reforms require legislative processes that cannot be expedited. Khan indicated that once meaningful progress is achieved in negotiations, the government will swiftly work to restore internet and mobile services, which have been suspended due to the ongoing unrest.
“I am confident that with the negotiation team in Muzaffarabad, we will find a solution to this deadlock, and normalcy will soon be restored,” Khan concluded.
