PoK protests enter 19th day over 12 refugee election seats
Protests in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) have stretched into their 19th day, as locals led by the Joint Awami Action Committee push back against the reservation of 12 seats for refugees in the July elections.
The Pakistani government has clamped down hard: food is blocked, internet is cut off, and roads are closed.
On Saturday, 35 more people were detained, raising the official count to 515. Protest leaders say more than 1,435 have been detained or are missing since things kicked off.
PoK residents face shortages amid shutdown
With markets shut and banking services stalled by internet outages, PoK residents are facing shortages of essentials like food and medicine.
Laborers and traders are struggling to earn a living since the shutdown began.
The unrest has caught international attention too: Kashmiri expats recently protested outside the Pakistani consulate in Glasgow.