Day 7 of Strike in Pakistan-Administered Kashmir: Citizens Face Severe Food Shortages Amid Unabated Tensions ( BBC )
15th June - The ongoing shutter-down strike and protests called by the banned Jammu Kashmir Joint Public Action Committee (JAAC) enter their seventh consecutive day, paralyzing the region.
1. Unofficial Curfew and Acute Ration Crises in Rawalakot
-Town Blockade:
Thousands of demonstrators marching from Bhimber and Mirpur have gathered on the outskirts of Rawalakot (specifically near Draik Eidgah and Azad Pattan), but security forces have strictly blocked them from entering the town.
-Mosque Announcements:
While the district administration has not issued an official notification, police vehicles and local mosque loudspeakers are actively broadcasting orders for residents to stay indoors, creating an unofficial curfew-like situation.
-Shortages of Food and Fuel: The prolonged roadblocks have triggered a severe flour crisis in Rawalakot. Due to a complete depletion of fuel supplies, locals can no longer transport essential food items from neighboring Pallandri and Kotli via motorbikes, leading to acute household ration shortages.
2. Defiance in Muzaffarabad Despite Forced Reopening Orders
- Administrative Ultimatum:
The Muzaffarabad district administration issued a formal notification ordering shopkeepers to immediately resume business activities, threatening legal and administrative actions against those who disobey.
-Markets Remain Closed: Local journalists report that despite government warnings, all major commercial hubs and local markets remain entirely shut as the trader community completely stands by the strike.
3. JAAC Leadership Demands and Alternative Trade Threats
-Uncompromising Demands:
JAAC core committee member Abid Shaheen reiterated that the strike remains absolute across all towns. The leadership vows to sustain the long march until the government revokes the notification banning their organization and hands over the bodies of slain workers allegedly held by law enforcement.
-Sardar Aman’s Ultimatum:
Protest leader Sardar Aman issued a critical warning to the state authority, declaring: "If you cut off rations to Azad Kashmir, we have other trading routes available, and we will open those alternative routes ourselves!"
4. Global Escalation: 60 UK MPs Intervene and Massive London Protests
-Parliamentary Appeal to PM Sharif:
Senior journalist Hamid Mir reported that 60 members of the UK Parliament have been actively trying to contact Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The British lawmakers are pleading with Islamabad to halt security operations and immediately initiate a peaceful dialogue with the Kashmiri demonstrators.
-UK Parliamentary Correspondence:
Over 50 British MPs have formally dispatched a joint letter expressing grave concern over the ongoing communications blackout, human rights violations, and mass political arrests in the region.
While the British lawmakers are pressing for international diplomatic intervention and the restoration of civil liberties, the Pakistani Foreign Office has firmly rejected the remarks, dismissing them as an interference in Pakistan's internal sovereign affairs.
-Diaspora Demonstration in London:
In solidarity with the region, thousands of overseas Kashmiris took to the streets of London to protest the internet shutdowns, military curfews, and reported civilian casualties, urging the international community to hold Islamabad accountable.
5. Police Chief Accuses Protesters of Deploying Advanced Weaponry
-No Leniency for Rioters:
The Inspector General of Police for Pakistan-administered Kashmir stated that no concessions will be granted to individuals targeting law enforcement personnel.
-Firing on Armoured Vehicles:
The police chief alleged that two days prior, protesters fired heavy weaponry at a bomb-proof Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC). The bullets pierced through the vehicle's armor plating, which police argue demonstrates that certain elements within the protest possess high-grade, sophisticated firearms.
6- State propaganda VS Social media
"Would Express News care to explain when a railway track was ever built in Rawalakot?
While trying to create a false impression by showing bullet holes on an old, stationary train car, perhaps they could also clarify where exactly this train was heading from Rawalakot? Even telling lies requires some intelligence.
"Context of this Social Media Post
This text is a direct critique of a news report broadcast by the Pakistani news channel, Express News.