'Witch killing own people': Why are massive protests erupting in Pakistan's PoK that have claimed 9 lives? | Explained 

Clashes between protesters and police

Demonstrations began on Monday, with thousands marching through Muzaffarabad. Clashes soon erupted between protesters and police, leaving streets littered with glass, stones, and spent bullet casings. According to the Azad Kashmir government, six civilians and three policemen have died, while more than 170 police officers and 50 civilians were injured. Protest organisers claim over 100 civilians were wounded.

Protesters accused security forces of using live ammunition. “The bullets being fired at us are made in Pakistan to be used against the enemy and are now being used against us,” said Shaukat Nawaz of the Awami Action Committee. Another demonstrator, 51-year-old Asad Tabbasum, said, “The politicians here behave like gangsters ruling over our heads; we want them gone and their privileges removed.”

Restrictions and communication blackouts

Authorities imposed internet and mobile blackouts across the region, while local journalists reported harassment and restrictions on coverage. “Our voice has been muted, not just that, they are reporting us as miscreants when we are here for our rights,” said 22-year-old protester Akash Kazmi.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi blamed “a few miscreants, on the enemy’s instigation” for the violence, though he did not specify which adversary. He stressed that while peaceful protest is a right, “taking the law into one’s own hands will never be allowed.”

Markets and schools in Muzaffarabad remained shut as protests and funerals continued. Security forces deployed in large numbers used tear gas to disperse crowds of up to 6,000 people at their peak.

Civilian leaders call for justice

Shaukat Nawaz Mir, a senior leader of the Awami Action Committee (AAC), accused the Pakistan Army and government of oppressing the population. “Our struggle is not against an individual, but against an entire system,” he told thousands of demonstrators. “This is the people's struggle, this is your struggle, and this is the struggle of all of us. Together, we will raise our voice against this system.”

Mir criticised the suppression of dissent and the silencing of local media, stating: “Our demand is clear — justice and the rights of the people. Until we achieve this, we will not step back.” Government response and ongoing negotiations

The PoK government said it had accepted “90 percent of the demands,” including reduced electricity tariffs, local government reforms, and withdrawal of cases against demonstrators. However, the AAC rejected the claim, insisting that issues such as reducing the number of ministers and scrapping reserved seats for Kashmiri refugees remain unresolved.

PoK Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq said his administration was ready to resume stalled negotiations, with Cabinet members stationed in Muzaffarabad and Rawalakot to engage with protesters. He cautioned the alliance to halt agitation, warning that continued unrest would plunge the region into chaos.

Escalating violence 

The latest clashes follow attacks by protesters on a peace rally earlier in the week, which left one dead and more than two dozen injured. Videos circulating on social media showed demonstrators in Kashmir’s hilly areas clashing with police, striking officers with sticks and stones, and tearing off uniforms. Authorities said security forces refrained from returning fire to avoid further casualties.

Thousands of demonstrators continue to demand subsidies on food, electricity, and other services, as the protests expand across PoK despite internet and communication blockades.