Pakistan on edge as PoK braces for massive protests: Inside the stir and fears of 'azadi' calls

File Photo (AFP)

Thousands of civilians led by the Awami Action Committee (AAC) will stage massive protests in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) on Monday amid calls for a lockdown across the region.

The Pakistan government has already deployed massive security in PoK for the "shutter-down and wheel-jam" strike, shutting down access to internet since midnight to curb mobilisation of protesters.

NDTV had reported that traders' bodies in Muzaffarabad said they would keep shops open on Sunday to allow people to stock up on essentials ahead of the shutdown.

According to CNN-News18, the protests stem from growing civilian anger over multiple demands such as the abolition of 12 Assembly seats reserved for Kashmiri refugees settled in Pakistan; renegotiation of hydropower agreements so that communities benefit directly from electricity generated at the Mangla and Neelum-Jhelum dams; provision of immediate flour subsidies to ease the burden of rising inflation; and linking power tariffs to local generation rates to lower energy costs for residents.

The PoK diaspora community in countries like US, UK and across Europe are also expected to stage protests to internationalise the issue.

According to the report, the Shehbaz Sharif government in Islamabad and the Pakistani army are worried that the ongoing protests could escalate into broader demands for Azadi (freedom) from Pakistan.

The AAC’s pushback against the proxy-democracy framework — especially its call to abolish refugee-reserved assembly seats — is seen as a direct challenge to the political structure through which Islamabad has long exercised control over Muzaffarabad. The ACC has argued that the reserved seats distort local representation and give Islamabad undue influence over PoK’s politics.

Sources told CNN-News18 that the situation remains volatile and unpredictable ahead of the stir.

Moreover, they added that the PoK region could witness growing youth radicalisation directed against Pakistan if there are attempts at violent suppression of the movement.

Videos circulating on social media show convoys of security forces moving into the city, heightening speculation of an impending heavy-handed crackdown.