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FAROOQ AHMAD DAR

The early days of October 2025 saw Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), or what Islamabad calls “Azad Kashmir,” erupt in one of its fiercest waves of unrest in decades. What began as a protest over soaring electricity tariffs and wheat prices soon spiralled into a full-scale agitation that paralysed life across Muzaffarabad, Dheerkot, Neelum Valley, and Kotli. At least a dozen people, including civilians and police personnel, were killed as security forces opened fire to disperse demonstrators. Curfews, internet blackouts, and mass arrests followed.

The unrest was no sudden outburst. It reflected years of neglect, poor governance, and economic frustration among PoK’s four million residents. Their demands — affordable food and power, better healthcare, education

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