The revolt within: Why Pakistan-occupied Jammu & Kashmir is restless again
Tensions in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir have escalated into violence following the formation of the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee. The group is protesting against high electricity tariffs, wheat subsidies, and governance issues, leading to a government crackdown and multiple casualties.
Why it matters
The unrest highlights deep-seated political and economic instability in a sensitive geopolitical region, potentially impacting regional security and relations between Pakistan and the disputed territory.
Nearly two decades ago, a person from Pakistan’s Punjab asked me, curiously, why people in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir appeared so antipathetic towards Punjabis, even though, as he put it, “we almost spoke a similar language.” Perhaps he assumed that someone who also had one side of the family that had migrated from the region during the 1947 Partition riots and who could converse in that language might offer a more detached assessment. Coincidentally, I was then researching my book — Across the LoC — on the region. What stayed with me was not merely the question itself, but the deeper tensions it hinted at questions of identity, representation and the uneasy relationship between the region and Pakistan’s political centre. Nearly two decades later, those unresolved sentiments appear to be resurfacing in a new form.
The article provides a historical and political context to the current unrest without overtly favoring the protesters or the state, though it focuses on the grievances of the local population.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in