Overview: renewed protests and a region under strain
Islamabad, Pakistan – Pakistan-administered Kashmir has entered a fourth day of a complete shutdown as protests surge across Muzaffarabad and surrounding districts. Officials say at least 15 people have been killed, including three police officers, with dozens more injured in clashes between protesters and security forces. A communications blackout that began on September 28 has left residents cut off from mobile networks and the internet, amplifying uncertainty in a region home to more than four million people.
The latest wave is being led by the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), an umbrella group representing traders and civil society. In Muzaffarabad, streets that normally bustle with market activity lie quiet, and public transport has largely vanished. The government has dispatched a negotiating team to engage with JAAC leaders, but talks have thus far yielded no resolution.
What sparked the renewed protests?
Analysts point to a two-year arc of grievances that culminated in the current confrontation. The JAAC’s protests formally began as economic pressures—skyrocketing electricity tariffs and shortages of subsidised wheat—fed a broader distrust of local governance. By September 2023, the group had coalesced into a formal movement, and the first major mobilisations of the new cycle occurred in 2024, including a long march toward Muzaffarabad that produced deadly clashes. While the government has previously pledged subsidies to reduce flour prices and electricity costs, the protests returned as dissatisfaction broadened beyond immediate price concerns to demands for structural political reform.
The core of the dispute lies in how power and resources are allocated within Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). JAAC leaders argue that entrenched privileges enjoyed by a governing elite must end, and they demand changes that would reshape fiscal and political incentives in the semi-autonomous territory.
The 38-point charter: what the protestors want
The JAAC has formally presented a 38-point plan that covers social, economic, and constitutional reforms. While the scale and detail are sweeping, several headline demands stand out:
- Abolition of “ruling elite privileges,” including perks enjoyed by senior officials (two official vehicles, personal staff, and fuel allowances).
- Ending the 12 reserved seats for refugees in the legislative assembly—a bloc JAAC argues wields disproportionate political power and development funds.
- Withdrawal of legal cases against activists involved in 2023-2024 protests.
- Tax exemptions and expanded employment opportunities to spur broader economic growth.
- Major infrastructure projects, including tunnels and bridges linking the region to the Pakistani mainland and the potential for an international airport; Muzaffarabad’s existing airport remains nonoperational, despite prior government interest.
Beyond these, the charter calls for comprehensive access to free education, healthcare facilities, and steps to accelerate development that JAAC says has long been delayed.
How the government has responded—and what comes next
The local administration has argued that most JAAC demands require time and financing from Islamabad, while asserting that the region’s security and stability are the immediate priorities. Negotiations with the JAAC began in earnest last week, but two points remain particularly contentious: the sunset of refugee seats and the elimination of elite perks. The government has defended refugee quotas as a historical necessity tied to the displacement during Partition, while pressing that reforms must pass through constitutional processes that cannot happen overnight.
Security authorities have rejected the deployment of additional paramilitary forces, insisting that local police can handle crowd control. However, as talks continue, the government has signaled a willingness to move quickly on issues where progress is possible, including restoring internet and mobile services once calm returns to the streets.
The broader context and possible outcomes
Pakistan-administered Kashmir sits at the heart of the Kashmir dispute, a long-running conflict involving India and Pakistan, with China controlling narrow portions of territory in the north. The current protests reflect a broader demand among residents for greater political voice and structural reforms alongside relief from immediate economic pressures. If negotiators bridge the gaps in the 38-point charter, there may be a path back to normal life and a resumption of services; if not, shutdowns and clashes could persist, posing continued risks to civilians and the region’s fragile stability.
Bottom line
As JAAC-led protests renew a familiar cycle, the question remains whether talks can translate unresolved grievances into tangible policy shifts. The coming days will reveal whether the negotiating committee can broker a compromise that addresses both the immediate economic pain and the longer-term demand for governance reform in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
