By Madhav Menon

Protests have erupted across Pakistan-occupied Jammu & Kashmir (POJK) due to the planned March and sit-ins on 11 May 2024, the Pakistani state in response has ensured heavy Police and FC deployment to suppress the peaceful protests. Mass protests and agitation were reported in multiple cities across POJK and people in some cases can be heard chanting “Foreign Forces go back” as locals are unhappy with Paramilitary personnel coming from the Pakistani mainland. 

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Political and human rights organizations like the Awami action committee are supposedly planning a march and sit-in on 11-May-2024 in Muzaffarabad, PoJK to address social and economic issues being faced by the locals for the last few months. These include inflation, unemployment, subsidy cuts, power shortages, resource exploitation, and privileges for Pakistani bureaucrats amongst many other issues. The Pakistani state until now has been unable to satisfy the demands of the locals.  

However, this is not the first time such protests have taken place. Three months back in February, there were massive protests across PoJK that were organized by the Awami Action Committee and other local Human Rights organizations. The protests were primarily sparked by a significant increase in prices of necessities and grievances such as the suspension of wheat subsidies, as reported by Dawn. Massive demonstrations had erupted against the Pakistani regime across various districts, paralyzing main roads and disrupting daily life. 

The Awami Action Committee (ACC) had also initiated protests, along with the ongoing public outcry. Thousands were seen participating in the rallies across districts, converging at central protest sites. ACC back then had demanded the fulfillment of 15 demands, including the restoration of wheat subsidies, suspension of the Finance Act of 2022, and revocation of various taxes. The other demands included the revocation of the lease granted to outsiders for the exploitation of mineral resources, ensuring the Diamer-Bhasha Dam benefited the locals first, and enhancing medical and educational facilities.

PoJK produces around 2300MW of electricity. Despite the immense amount of power being produced, most of the power is sent to the Pakistani mainland while locals in some cases must ensure up to 20 hours of daily power cuts. Their demands also extend beyond immediate economic concerns of basic rights. There have been increasing calls for accountability from government officials, which has resonated loudly among the local protestors. Allegations of preferential treatment have exacerbated frustrations, with accusations leveled against those in power for enjoying perks that ordinary citizens lack.

The Pakistani government after negotiations had agreed to some of the demands of the Awami Action Committee and the protests had subsided in the last few months, however, there has been no progress on the ground and the economic and employment situation of the locals has not become any better.

Reports emerged that political and human rights organizations had announced plans for a long march and sit-in on May 11 in Muzaffarabad, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), aiming to address the challenges faced by locals. The United Kashmir People’s National Party (UKPNP) and Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) had jointly declared that the march will highlight issues such as soaring inflation, widespread unemployment, withdrawal of wheat and flour subsidies, frequent power cuts, exploitation of PoJK’s natural resources, and unfair privileges granted to civil bureaucrats in the region. Documents were seen in local social media handles, where the Prime Minister of PoJK on 22nd April 2024 had requested six additional platoons of Civil armed forces (CAF) to protect against unrest and safeguard Chinese nationals and investment after recent attacks. As per the report by the Daily Guardian, personnel from the Frontier Corps, Rangers, and Quick Response Force (QRF) of Punjab Province have been deployed in the area. 


Shabir Choudhry, an activist from PoJK and a writer based in London, has been speaking about the worsening conditions in the region. In a recent YouTube video, he revealed a growing discontent among the locals in PoJK, with some of the locals even mentioning a potential repeat of the less-known 1955 uprising, a historical event often concealed by the Pakistani establishment and not talked about enough by the Indian establishment. The 1955 confrontation between locals and the Pakistani military lasted almost a year before they were forcefully suppressed, especially the Poonch rebellion against the Pakistani state. 

Attempts by the Pakistani establishment to forcefully suppress the protests will likely inflame the sentiments in the region. The FC personnel coming from Punjab are already being called ‘Foreign forces’ by the locals and there has been increased agitation by them against the Pakistani Paramilitary forces after Pakistan decided to bring them in. The intensity of the protests and the revulsion of the locals to the Pakistani administration has been gradually increasing since last year. The likelihood of the Pakistani state to solve the issues of the locals depends on Pakistan’s economic situation. Based on historical precedence, Pakistan is also likely to focus more of its resources on stabilizing Punjab province, which will mean the economic situation in PoJK and consequence the local frustration is expected to get worse as time goes on.