Pakistan-administered Kashmir protests leave trail of grief in Rawalakot

The streets of Rawalakot are quieter now. But the grief isn’t. In this mountain city in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, families are burying their dead and asking why security forces opened fire on crowds demanding cheaper electricity and flour — basic goods that much of the rest of Pakistan takes for granted.

BBC journalists gained rare access to Rawalakot this week, speaking to residents, activists, and bereaved families in a city still raw from clashes that killed at least four protesters and wounded dozens more over three days of unrest last month.

A mother’s loss

Nusrat Bibi, 52, sat on a charpoy outside her home in a narrow lane off the main bazaar, clutching a photograph of her son. Tariq was 24. He worked at a local mobile phone repair shop and, according to his mother, had gone out to join the protests on the second day of demonstrations.

“My only son was shot standing up for justice,” she said, her voice barely rising above a whisper. “He wanted flour for the family. He wanted light in our homes. Is that a crime?”

Tariq was hit by live rounds near the district court building, she said. He died before reaching the hospital. There’s been no official acknowledgement of his death, no condolence visit from any government representative.

What sparked the unrest

The protests began on May 11 after the Awami Action Committee — a coalition of civil society groups — called for a shutdown over electricity surcharges and the rising price of wheat flour. Residents here pay rates for power that are significantly higher than those charged in mainland Pakistan, despite the region generating substantial hydroelectric energy itself.

By the second day, crowds numbering in the thousands had gathered across Rawalakot. Security forces deployed tear gas first, then, witnesses say, opened fire with live ammunition. At least 86 people were injured, according to local hospital records obtained by the BBC.

It’s a grievance that’s been simmering for years.

Authorities defend their response

A spokesperson for the Azad Jammu and Kashmir government said that security forces acted to protect state property and public infrastructure after “armed elements” infiltrated the otherwise peaceful demonstrations. The spokesperson added that an inquiry had been ordered into the deaths. No timeline was given.

Activists reject that framing entirely. “There were no armed elements,” said one protest organiser who asked not to be named for his safety. “There were shopkeepers, teachers, students. Ordinary people.”

A city waiting

Rawalakot looks deceptively calm today. Shops have reopened. Children walk to school. But scratch the surface and the anger is still there, contained but not gone.

The Awami Action Committee has suspended its shutdown for now, pending negotiations with the government in Islamabad. Talks are scheduled to resume in the coming days. Whether they’ll deliver anything meaningful — reduced tariffs, accountability for the killings — remains deeply uncertain.

For Nusrat Bibi, politics feels very far away. She wants to know who gave the order to shoot. And she wants someone to answer for it.