Pak imposes blockade on POK, tries to starve it of food, medicine to quell protests
As Pakistan battles a growing anti-government uprising in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK), Islamabad is choking off the region's access to food, fuel and medicines to pressure
As Pakistan battles a growing anti-government uprising in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK), Islamabad is choking off the region's access to food, fuel and medicines to pressure protesters into submission. Residents, truck drivers and opposition figures have told local media that vehicles carrying essential commodities are being prevented from entering the territory, worsening shortages already caused by a region-wide shutdown led by the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC). Pakistani authorities deny imposing any blockade, but reports from BBC Urdu, Dawn and AFP point to a deepening crisis across the illegally-occupied territory. Read Full Story The unrest stems from a dispute over 12 seats in the territory's legislative assembly that are reserved for refugees from Indian-administered Kashmir. Local groups allege Islamabad uses these seats to influence elections and install compliant governments. In response to the protests, Pakistan designated the JAAC a terrorist organisation and launched a crackdown on its supporters. The resulting clashes have left at least 58 people dead, according to reports. Since then, daily life in POK has been severely disrupted. The JAAC's shutdown has crippled transport networks, disrupted the movement of goods and services, and forced markets and businesses to close. However, residents and opposition parties claim the crisis has been worsened by Pakistani authorities deliberately restricting the movement of food, fuel and medical supplies into the region. FOOD, MEDICINE, FUEL IN SHORT SUPPLY ACROSS POK Before examining how Islamabad is allegedly seeking to pressure the restive region by restricting the flow of essential commodities into POK, it is important to first understand the scale of the shortages that have hamstrung daily life across the territory. According to AFP, protests, sit-ins and business strikes have paralysed daily life across several towns in the region, with residents and officials also reporting widespread mobile internet disruptions. In Muzaffarabad, the regional capital, news agency AFP reported residents as struggling to access necessities. One resident, 64-year-old Muhammad Masqeen, told AFP that he had been unable to find medicine, with most pharmascies remaining closed. "I have been searching for medicine everywhere, but I cannot find it.
Even big stores are closed," Masqeen told the news agency. Supply chain disruptions have also left many shops short of stock. Another resident, Sabar Hussain, told AFP that people had endured more than a week of hardship, with markets shut and food supplies increasingly scarce. The region is also facing a severe fuel shortage. Karachi-based daily, Dawn, reported on Saturday that petrol pumps across the districts of Poonch and Muzaffarabad remained closed, with motorists saying they had been forced to buy fuel on the black market to keep their vehicles running. According to BBC Urdu, shortages of food, fuel and medicines are being reported across several parts of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, particularly in the Poonch sector, Rawalakot, Bagh and the remote Neelum Valley, as ongoing protests and road blockades continue to disrupt supply lines. Alif Din, a resident of Neelum district, told BBC Urdu that people in the area have not even been receiving their rations since the strike started, "I have been depositing money at the depot for 15 days but have not received flour yet. I go to the depot every day, but I am not given flour", Din told the news outlet, adding that the price of flour still available in local markets had increased significantly. Residents in Abbasur and Rawalkot told the outlet that food and medicine stockpiles accumulated by local residents were running out while grocery stores and pharmacies had remained shut for two weeks straight. Part of these shortages can be attributed to the JAAC's actions, which have forced the closure of stores and markets across the region. Many remain shut despite government orders to reopen, while those that have resumed operations are struggling to replenish supplies because of disrupted transport links. Although the JAAC has also attempted to obstruct trucks carrying essential goods into POK, the Pakistani state appears to have played a role in worsening the crisis as well. VEHICLES CARRYING ESSENTIAL COMMODITIES PREVENTED FROM ENTERING POK As shortages deepen, many residents have reportedly been travelling into Pakistan to purchase essential goods.
The BriefWire