'My only son was shot standing up for justice' - inside city gripped by deadly protests in Pakistan-administered Kashmir
Protests in Pakistan-administered Kashmir have turned deadly as the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) clashes with security forces over demands for affordable electricity, flour, and basic rights. The BBC reports that local medical facilities are overwhelmed, with families claiming peaceful protesters are being targeted by live fire while authorities label the group as foreign-funded terrorists.
Why it matters
The unrest highlights significant political instability and human rights concerns in a sensitive, disputed region, potentially impacting regional security and the legitimacy of ongoing local elections.
Image caption, Dr Anwar's makeshift clinic is unable to deal with seriously injured protesters
Dr Anwar's makeshift clinic is not far from the main protest site in the city of Rawalakot in Pakistan-administered Kashmir (PAK). A spare bedroom acts as a medical supply cupboard, outside is a bed under a red stretched tarpaulin.
Lying across the bed is Shafqat Hussain, shot in the chest. The sheet he lies on is already stained with the blood of previously injured. He is dying.
In the last two months, dozens of people have been killed across the region in clashes between security officials and protesters from the group Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC).
This region - home to about 4.5 million people - currently has elections taking place .
The BBC is the first media organisation to gain access to Rawalakot and speak to those at the heart of the protests.
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