Officials have released activists who were arrested during last month’s anti-Pakistan demonstrations in Muzaffarabad, the largest city in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (POJK).
The region is witnessing widespread civil unrest since May, with students, lawyers, and political activists leading demonstrations across POJK. Started as protests against cuts to wheat flour subsidies has rapidly evolved into a movement addressing multiple grievances.
Demonstrators are rally against inflated electricity bills, illegal taxation and suppression of political rights in this disputed territory.
The release of some detainees by authorities, while a step towards addressing protesters’ demands, has not quelled the unrest. Protest leaders insist that all individuals arrested during the demonstrations must be freed without conditions.