- By Ajeet Kumar
- Wed, 10 Jun 2026 11:26 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
- PoK protests demand subsidized flour, electricity, face violence.
- Protesters labeled 'Indian agents' by Pakistani authorities.
- Unrest fueled by JAAC, dispute over reserved assembly seats.
Shops and markets closed, the internet snapped, and more than 30 civilians were reportedly shot down by the Pakistani Rangers. The grim situation in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) came at a time when engineers in neighbouring Jammu and Kashmir celebrated the Zojila Tunnel breakthrough. The tale of two regions is a stark reminder of the oppressive rule imposed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and US President Donald Trump’s "favourite" field marshal, Asim Munir.
Hungry protestors are labbeled "Indian agents"
Did you know why they are protesting? According to Pakistani media reports, the people of nearly 4 million in the Himalayan region are protesting for a good life with minimum intervention of the so-called PoK “Prime Minister. They are demanding subsidised flour and electricity but they are termed “terrorists”. Besides, they are also protesting against rising costs and seat disparity in seat sharing in the upcoming elections.
When they demanded their rights, they were called “Indian agents”, according to Hamid Mir, a Pakistani journalist and columnist.
Notably, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is illegally governed under a semi-autonomous system. It has its own "prime minister" and legislative assembly, but residents claimed the authority remains in the hands of Islamabad.
Why are PoK residents protesting?
The ongoing unrest in PoK is driven by the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), a grassroots umbrella organisation formed in 2023. Led by civil society activist Shaukat Nawaz Mir, the group represents a coalition of local traders and civil society organisations. In response to their mobilisation, the so-called local government department officially banned the JAAC under the region's Anti-Terrorism Act of 2014, accusing the committee of engaging in terrorism, inciting hatred, creating public anarchy, and threatening state security.
The friction between the group and regional authorities has culminated in a bitter war of words regarding recent casualties in Rawalakot. In a video message broadcast on X, Mir fiercely condemned law enforcement, claiming that the state had initiated a "massacre" against local citizens.
On the other side, Sardar Waheed Khan, the commissioner of Pakistani Poonch, firmly rejected this characterisation, accusing the JAAC leadership of intentionally misleading the public and maintaining that the state's intervention was strictly a necessary measure to restore law and order.
Dispute over 12 reserved seats
The current protests in PoK are triggered by a legislative dispute over 12 reserved seats in the region’s 45-seat assembly, which is scheduled for elections on July 27. These specific seats are legally set aside for “refugees” who migrated from Jammu and Kashmir to other parts of Pakistan, such as Karachi, during the 1947 partition. However, a major legal loophole bars any refugee who actually resides within PoK from contesting these seats.
In response, the JAAC is demanding the complete abolition of this system, arguing that legislative representation should belong exclusively to actual, local residents rather than individuals living in scattered constituencies across Pakistan.
While this reserved seat framework has existed in various forms since the late 1940s and was institutionalised under PoK’s 1974 interim constitution, protesters are pushing back against the old status quo. Under this constitutional arrangement, the region operates as a self-governing, autonomous state with its own prime minister, president, and courts, while Pakistan maintains centralised control over its defence, foreign affairs, currency, and communications.