Supporters of the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) gather during a weeks-long protest following the group’s ban under anti-terrorism laws by local authorities, Neelum Valley, Kashmir, June 18, 2026. (AFP Photo)Protests had already intensified in the days before the shutdown, with government officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, saying at least 20 civilians were killed between June 6 and June 14 and dozens more wounded. Regional police chief Liaqat Ali Malik said four officers were killed and 97 were wounded in clashes with protesters, while 515 people were detained. Thousands of JAAC supporters are now camped on the outskirts of Rawalakot, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) south of Muzaffarabad, the regional capital.The government has responded by shutting main roads, blocking internet access and restricting media access across much of Kashmir.
“Not Earned a Single Rupee”
In Muzaffarabad’s Upper Adda commercial district, menial laborers sit idle beneath a red-brick monument, waiting for work that has not come.
“Since June 9, I have not earned a single rupee,” said day laborer Ikhlaq Ahmed, 27, from a remote village.The usually busy Upper Adda, once filled with grocers by day and food stalls by night, is mostly silent.
Medical stores and some grocers have begun opening for limited hours, and fruit and vegetable sellers have cautiously returned, but other businesses remain closed. Bank notices blame the government’s suspension of internet and satellite services for the closure of ATMs and banking operations, while petrol stations are also shut due to an official order.
For workers like motorcycle taxi driver Asif Naz, the crisis is unbearable.
“Those with resources may sustain it,” he said. “But for blue-collar workers like us, it is self-inflicted suffering.”
By Reuters
