Overview

• Large parts of Muzaffarabad, Mirpur, Kotli, Rawalakot and other districts were shut as a region-wide ‘shutter-down and wheel-jam’ action halted markets, transport and roads.
• Authorities cut mobile, internet and many landline services and flew in reinforcements, including Pakistan Rangers and roughly 1,000 Islamabad police, with flag marches and checkpoints reported.
• Clashes on September 29 left dozens injured and conflicting fatality counts, with reports ranging from one to three dead; local accounts cited gunfire near Muzaffarabad’s Neelum Bridge.
• Protest leaders and opposition figures alleged that Muslim Conference-linked groups opened fire on demonstrators, a claim that remains contested as police used tear gas to disperse crowds.
• The drive follows failed talks and centers on abolishing 12 assembly seats reserved for refugees, fairer hydropower-linked electricity tariffs, and subsidised flour, with the movement’s next steps unclear.