RAWALAKOT, Pakistan-administered Kashmir: In a spare bedroom turned makeshift clinic, a bloodstained sheet tells a quiet, terrible story. Shafqat Hussain lies on a bed beneath a red tarpaulin, shot in the chest during protests that have turned this city into a place of fear, anger, and grief.
“We only asked for affordable flour, electricity and our basic rights,” says his friend Ali, wiping tears with his shawl. “Instead, our brothers are being killed. What was our crime?”
Over the past two months, dozens have died in clashes between protesters and security forces across Pakistan-administered Kashmir, a region of about 4.5 million people now holding elections. The BBC is the first media outlet allowed into Rawalakot, where families describe a community pushed to the edge.
Dr Anwar, a local doctor whose name has been changed for safety, runs the clinic near the main protest site. He says his team can stop bleeding and remove superficial bullets, but patients with serious chest, head, or abdominal wounds need advanced hospitals facilities that would struggle if many arrived at once. Since late July, he estimates the clinic has treated 50 to 60 critically injured people, including 15 to 20 with gunshot wounds, according to BBC News.
Many protesters avoid the main hospital, fearing arrest or even being shot inside. Authorities deny this, but the distrust runs deep. “Most of those killed or seriously injured are young people, between 15 and 35,” Dr Anwar says. “I have seen very few patients over 40.”
The protests are led by the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), which says it is demanding basic rights: lower electricity prices, better education, and improved health care. An agreement signed with Pakistan and the local government in October was supposed to help, but the JAAC says it has not been implemented. The local government disagrees, calling the group armed and accusing it of trying to disrupt the elections. In June, authorities banned the JAAC and labeled it a foreign-funded terrorist organization, a claim the group rejects, insisting it is peaceful and not backed by India.
Families in Rawalakot speak of loss with a mix of sorrow and pride. Asma says she was at a protest when she learned her only son had been shot. “We were only asking for our rights. We are not terrorists,” she says. “He knew there were risks, but he believed standing up for justice was important. He used to say that dying for a just cause was an honour.”
Salman, who lost his younger brother, echoes that feeling. “He was the youngest in the family and was loved by everyone,” he says. “At the same time I feel proud that he gave his life while standing up for the rights of the people.”
Ayub, a retired soldier, blames the Pakistan-administered Kashmir government for calling in paramilitary forces. “I lived through the martial law periods of General Zia-ul-Haq and General Pervez Musharraf,” he says. “But I have never seen anything like what is happening now. In my opinion, it is extreme injustice.”
The Pakistan-administered Kashmir government denies firing indiscriminately, saying security forces acted only against those attacking law enforcement or threatening public safety. It accuses the JAAC of violence, sharing drone footage it says shows armed members on rooftops. Police have displayed seized guns and claimed one man confessed to being offered 10 million rupees (about £26,700) for each paramilitary officer killed.
JAAC leader Umar Nazir denies the group used violence, suggesting possible infiltrators acted to justify the authorities’ narrative. He offered no proof, and officials accuse the JAAC of a disinformation campaign.
On the ground, the BBC saw no weapons at JAAC protests, though gunshots were heard overnight. Food shortages have left shops shuttered, with protesters sharing what little they have. Some roads are blocked by felled trees; others have security checkpoints. Authorities say they are facilitating supplies, but many residents say access remains restricted.
With the internet cut and tension rising, no one knows when the situation might escalate. Nazir says the group is willing to talk, but for now, more protests are planned and more families in Kashmir brace for the cost.
