A nearly two-week standoff between protesters and police in Pakistan-administered Kashmir has left residents grappling with food shortages, while the death toll from clashes rose to 22, according to an AFP tally on Wednesday.
Supporters of the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), an anti-government movement demanding economic and governance reforms, have pressed ahead with protests despite the group being banned this month under anti-terrorism laws.
Police said on Monday that 425 people linked to the JAAC have been arrested since the unrest began in early June.
Sardar Waheed, the top civilian official in the city of Rawalakot which has been a focal point of the unrest, said two more people had been killed during clashes in recent days.
That lifted the death toll to 22 since June 5, from 20 confirmed on Friday based on statements to AFP from officials in three separate districts, including Rawalakot.
The toll includes four law enforcement personnel. Police say 89 officers have been wounded during clashes.
Members of the JAAC have described their listing as a terror group as “oppression”, saying they are demonstrating for legitimate economic and political rights.
Protests, sit-ins and business strikes have paralysed daily life in many towns across the region, according to officials and residents who also reported widespread mobile internet outages.
In the regional capital Muzaffarabad, streets were quiet and residents complained of difficulty accessing crucial supplies.
“I have been searching for medicine everywhere, but I cannot find it. Even big stores are closed,” 64-year-old Muzaffarabad resident Muhammad Masqeen told AFP on Tuesday.
For shops that were open, supply disruptions were limiting stock.
“For eight days, we have been going through very difficult times. Markets are closed, and there is very little to eat except vegetables,” said Sabar Hussain, 60.
Authorities said they had ordered shops to open, and local government spokesman Shoaib Javed Mir said officials were working to prevent any shortages of essential supplies.
Days of violent clashes between police and protesters led by the JAAC last gripped the Himalayan region in September, with nine confirmed killed at the time.
The area is considered highly sensitive by the Pakistani military and government after years of frequent skirmishes and full-blown war with India.
Muslim-majority Kashmir is claimed in full by both India and Pakistan, but has been divided between them since their independence from British rule.
