Politics1 min read

Pak cracks down on protests in POK against rising cost of living, 20 feared dead

By · Via Times of India · Published by Everything Blog

In short

The latest confrontations in the region left around 20 civilians feared dead, 200 injured, and multiple individuals missing following heavy-handed security operations. Demonstrations have expanded toward Muzaffarabad and Umar Farooq Chowk despite strict curfews and security blockades that have brought commerce to a halt. Activists, including JAAC leader Sardar Umar Nazir, accused forces of firing rocket-propelled grenades and deploying drones into residential zones. Over the course of the ongoing cost-of-living unrest, the overall death toll has surpassed an estimated 200 people.

Key points

  • The broader cost-of-living protests across the region have resulted in more than 200 esti…: The broader cost-of-living protests across the region have resulted in more than 200 estimated civilian deaths over recent months.
  • Aggressive crackdowns, mass detentions, and civilian disappearances have alienated the lo…: Aggressive crackdowns, mass detentions, and civilian disappearances have alienated the local population and paralyzed business operations.
  • Anti-government and anti-military rallies continue to expand geographically, drawing thou…: Anti-government and anti-military rallies continue to expand geographically, drawing thousands of participants to Muzaffarabad and Umar Farooq Chowk.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

Around 20 civilians are feared killed, several are missing, and around 200 were injured in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir's Rawalakot and neighbouring areas, after Pakistani security forces fired on people protesting against the rising cost of living. The death toll from months of civil unrest is estimated to more than 200.The military has been accused of using rocket-propelled grenades and drones at agitators protesting against soaring electricity tariffs, wheat subsidy cuts, heavy taxation and violence against local civil rights activists.

The protesters allege that security units moved in under the cover of strict curfews to clear a sit-in site and fired indiscriminately at people at various locations. In a video uploaded on social media, JAAC leader Sardar Umar Nazir showed that fragments of bombs were recovered after a drone strike on residential localities and accused Pakistani govt of attacking agitators from multiple directions.

Late Friday, videos from Umar Farooq Chowk in Rawalkot showed an undeterred crowd of thousands at the sit-in site, raising slogans of resistance against military and govt. The crackdown has marked an escalation in regional tension with protests expanding…

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