Widespread protests have erupted in the Pakistani-controlled part of Kashmir, driven by outrage over soaring electricity bills and flour prices in a region that has long suffered economically due to its status as a conflict.
To try to quell the growing unrest – which led to a widespread strike and left one police officer dead and 90 injured – Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called an emergency meeting on Monday in the Pakistani capital Islamabad.
As protesters planned to march this week toward Muzaffarabad, the regional capital, authorities suspended internet service in many areas and closed the city’s schools.
“I have never seen an uprising of this magnitude in Pakistan-administered Kashmir,” said Mubashar Naqvi, a Muzaffarabad resident and professor at Azad Jammu and Kashmir University. “This protest is unique because it brings together people from all walks of life to demand basic necessities. »
The picturesque but highly militarized Himalayan region of Kashmir, claimed by both Pakistan and India since their independence from Britain in 1947, has been the scene of three wars between these distant neighbors.
The current unrest poses a challenge to the Pakistani military, which maintains a strong presence in the region, and to Islamabad’s civilian leadership. Pakistan views Kashmir as a disputed territory whose status should be resolved through a United Nations-mandated referendum to allow Kashmiris to choose between being part of Pakistan or India.
But the Pakistani government has been criticized for suppressing local movements seeking full independence. Although no calls for independence have been made in the current wave of unrest, residents said the protests reflected a general sense of dissatisfaction.
“There is a strong sense of anger and frustration among Kashmiri youth, driven by political disappointment, high inflation and severe unemployment,” Mr Naqvi said.
The unrest began on Friday when a group of activists made up largely of traders launched a strike in Muzaffarabad that quickly led to violent clashes with law enforcement. The detention of Kashmiri activists during night raids fueled the call for strike.
Kashmiri authorities urged protesters not to resort to violence. Faisal Mumtaz Rathore, a local government minister, said the plan to send paramilitary troops had been withdrawn as talks with protesters continued.
But the real solution, he said, lies with Pakistani national authorities. “The great demand of the people, the demand for cheap electricity and the end of power outages, falls under the jurisdiction of the Government of Pakistan,” Rathore said.
The region relies heavily on public employment and receives little private investment due to its status.
As the protests entered their third day, the streets of Muzaffarabad were calm on Sunday. Security forces, identified by their black bandanas, were present at checkpoints. Residents watched from behind their closed windows, their daily routines disrupted and their supplies dwindling.
To ease difficulties, protest organizers said essential stores could open for three hours each evening. Ayesha Bibi, 34, a resident of Muzaffarabad, expressed her distress over the needs of her young child.
“She hasn’t had milk for two days,” Ms. Bibi said. “We can bear hunger, but going without basic services like affordable electricity and wheat flour is unbearable. »
Siddique Haidari, 68, another resident, deplored the considerable damage caused by the clashes. “Every house here shows the damage,” he said.
Jalaluddin Mughal reports contributed.
