What started as local anger over rising electricity bills and soaring food prices in Pakistan-occupied Jammu & Kashmir (PoJK, popularly “Azad Kashmir”) has grown into one of the region’s most serious uprisings in years. The Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC) has led mass protests, shutter-downs, and large strikes, demanding not just subsidies, but sweeping structural reforms.

Their 38-point demand charter includes slashing electricity tariffs, subsidised wheat, free healthcare and education, ending elite perks, and abolishing 12 legislative seats reserved for Kashmiri refugees in Pakistan seen by many as symbolic but unrepresentative. Residents assert that while the name “Azad Kashmir” implies freedom or autonomy, the reality has long been one of economic neglect, political repression, and heavy military control.

Authorities responded with internet shutdowns, force, road blockades, arrests and even violent clashes involving both civilians and security forces. At least a dozen people have died, hundreds injured, and the legitimacy of Pakistani rule is being openly disputed.

This unrest marks more than a moment of crisis it may signify a turning point. Feeling betrayed by promises, people seem less willing to accept symbolic control without tangible benefits. The protests are now about political accountability, local governance, and redefining what “freedom” in Azad Kashmir actually means.