On Monday, September 29, 2025, life in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) ground to a near halt as a sweeping shutter-down and wheel-jam strike paralyzed the region. The strike, orchestrated by the Joint Action Committee (JAC)—also known as the Jammu and Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) and Public Action Committee in various reports—was marked by the closure of markets, transportation, and business centers, while schools, though technically open, saw their classrooms largely deserted. The protests, which have unfolded amid mounting frustration over unmet demands and persistent hardship, have drawn support from a cross-section of society, including the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and have been met with a heavy-handed government response, including a near-total communications blackout.
According to reporting from Samaa TV and Aaj News, the strike’s impact was immediately visible: commercial centers, hotels, shops, and lorry depots in Muzaffarabad and other cities were shuttered, and roads that would normally be bustling with traffic instead lay eerily empty. The disruption extended to digital life as well. For the second consecutive day, mobile phone, internet, and landline services were suspended, leaving residents isolated and unable to communicate with the outside world. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority confirmed that the blackout was ordered by the federal interior ministry, a move that has only deepened public hardship and sparked widespread criticism.
The JAC’s 38-point charter of demands reads like a sweeping manifesto for political, economic, and social reform. Among the most prominent points are the abolition of 12 legislative assembly seats reserved for refugees residing in Pakistan, the rollback of privileges for the region’s elite, and the call for free and equal education. Other demands include the construction of key roads and tunnels, the establishment of an international airport, clean drinking water, reforms to electricity billing, and the elimination of quotas and corruption in government appointments. The committee has also insisted on the abolition of the refugee quota in jobs, interest-free loans for youth, and the empowerment of local representatives through student union elections. In a striking move, the JAC has called for the abolition of what it terms “black laws” and demanded reforms in the judiciary and government departments to root out bribery, nepotism, and corruption.
Despite the government’s claims of progress, negotiations between officials and the JAC collapsed on September 25. Federal ministers Tariq Fazal Chaudhry and Amir Muqam stated that while Islamabad had agreed to most of the demands related to flour and electricity prices, those that required constitutional amendments could only be addressed by parliament. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, speaking through PML-N senior leader Mushtaq Ahmed Minhas, signaled his readiness for direct talks with the committee’s leadership, asserting that “98 percent of their demands had already been accepted, with only two issues still unresolved.” The prime minister urged the JAC to withdraw its strike call, warning that continued protests could be “exploited internationally by India to embarrass Pakistan.” He promised to meet the JAC leadership within two days of returning to Pakistan, but his appeals fell on deaf ears as the committee pressed ahead with its mobilization efforts.
Security was visibly heightened across the region. Nearly 3,000 Islamabad police personnel, along with additional Rangers, were deployed in Muzaffarabad and other districts to maintain order. According to Aaj News, hundreds more law enforcement officers were sent from Pakistan, underscoring the government’s determination to prevent the protests from escalating. The communications blackout, ostensibly ordered to limit the spread of unrest, has had a profound effect on daily life. Citizens have reported being unable to access online services, conduct business, or even withdraw cash, as long lines formed at ATMs that were unable to process transactions without network connectivity.
JAC leader Shaukat Nawaz Mir, quoted in Dawn, condemned the shutdown, stating it had pushed the people “into the past” and demanded that services be restored if the government was serious about addressing their grievances. The committee has also written to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and various human rights organizations, calling for an investigation into deaths, arrests, and alleged crackdowns during previous protests in Azad Kashmir.
The roots of the current unrest stretch back at least two years. The JAC has spearheaded repeated protest movements over issues such as flour subsidies, electricity tariffs, and perks for the elite. Some demonstrations have turned violent, most notably in May 2024, when clashes with security forces resulted in the deaths of three civilians and a police officer. While the government has issued notifications accepting several demands in the past, the JAC insists that many of these agreements were never implemented, prompting the expansion of their charter to its current 38 points.
Rallies have continued across multiple cities, even in the face of the communications blackout. In Rawalakot, demonstrators staged a motorcycle rally followed by a torch-lit procession, while a similar march was held in Bagh. Mainstream political parties, including the PML-N and PPP, have distanced themselves from the JAC protests, instructing their workers not to participate and instead holding their own rallies. AJK Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq, leading one such rally, accused the JAC of exploiting the situation for political gain and argued that their demand to abolish refugee seats undermines the international nature of the Kashmir dispute.
Dr. Irfan Ashraf, spokesperson for the Azad Kashmir government, sought to downplay the unrest, stating that the region remains peaceful and that negotiations are ongoing. He noted that “the public is growing weary of strikes and roadblocks,” but this sentiment was not widely echoed on the ground, where frustration and anger continue to simmer.
The crisis in AJK comes against a backdrop of chronic instability and underdevelopment that has plagued the region for decades. According to IANS and Greek City Times, the people of Pakistan-administered Kashmir are among the most severely impacted by terrorism and state-centric counterterrorism campaigns in South Asia. The 2024 Global Terror Index highlighted that over 90 percent of terrorism deaths globally occur in conflict zones, with AJK suffering massive human, economic, and psychological damage. Terrorism and instability have repeatedly interrupted or derailed projects aimed at improving tourism, healthcare, and education, while the limited benefits from industry and tourism have often been siphoned off by companies linked to the Pakistan Army, leaving local citizens at a disadvantage.
The timing of the strike is particularly sensitive, coming just days after violent protests in Indian-administered Ladakh, where demands for political autonomy led to deadly clashes and the arrest of prominent activist Sonam Wangchuk. The parallels between the two regions have not gone unnoticed by observers, who warn that the situation in AJK could escalate if grievances remain unaddressed.
As the sun set on another day of shuttered shops, silent streets, and anxious uncertainty, the people of Azad Jammu and Kashmir found themselves at a crossroads—caught between the promise of reform and the reality of ongoing hardship, their voices echoing in a region too often defined by silence.
