Any government of the day is supposed to ensure basic facilities and a dignified life to the people it governs irrespective of the conflicting views both parties hold. But Islamabad has turned hostile toward Kashmiris in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, choking the region’s lifeline through road and administrative blockades, communication restrictions, and the destruction of livelihoods. The reason? Kashmiris are asking for civic and political rights.
The Islamabad government and Pakistan’s military did not want Kashmiris to voice their concerns and sought to suppress the ongoing protests without holding any meaningful dialogue. They found an easy solution. Smother people. Crush their spirit. How? Stop their access to food, medicines, and social communication. Kashmiris are suffering and struggling to breathe in their own home, which Islamabad calls ‘Azad Kashmir’, which literally means free Kashmir. What an irony!
Pakistan-administered Kashmir is a mountainous, difficult terrain, where supplies of food items, medicines, and other things of necessity are challenging to maintain. Now, Pakistan’s army has made things worse by imposing a blockade. It sealed the entire region through multiple coordinated restrictions. This has caused a severe shortage of food commodities, life-saving medicines and affected local livelihoods, which are majorly based on tourism activities.
There are restrictions on news reporting, and the suspension of internet and satellite services has curtailed smooth dissemination of information about the ground realities. Yet, people in Kashmir have somehow managed to convey their plight to the world through social media and relatives based outside Kashmir. What is emerging is horrific? The Pakistani army appears to be trying to suffocate Kashmiris and crush their dissent by creating artificial food and medicine shortages.
Videos on social media show Kashmiris standing near halted supply trucks, raising slogans against Pakistan. “Food transport vehicles heading to Kashmir are being stopped by the Pak Army and not allowed to enter the region,” wrote Burhanuddin on X. “Army has intensified pressure in Kashmir, even food supply deliveries are being restricted. Generals are trying very hard to repeat the history of Bangladesh.”
Moreover, Islamabad shut the routes heading to the major cities of Muzaffarabad and Rawalakot, thus isolating the protesters from the rest of the Kashmiris. Petrol pumps were ordered to remain closed, and public transport services were suspended, bringing the region to a standstill. International news outlets reported how markets in the region were out of fresh vegetables and fruits even as ordinary people struggled to procure ration.
Vegetables are being sold at three to four times of their normal rates as supplies are not being allowed by the Pakistani security forces. “We even tried bringing medicines from Rawalpindi in our own carrier vehicle, but the police did not allow us to enter Muzaffarabad, saying permission had not been granted,” said Abdul Majid Awan from Muzaffarabad.
Paramilitary forces are deployed across Kashmir, which has only prevented people from securing food supplies but some CCTV footage also showed how the security personnel raided homes and seized what was left. “The state is so broke that our army now raids homes in Kashmir, ransacking cabinets and taking from families already crushed by shortages,” said sociology student Hasib Siddique.
Kashmiris are receiving harsh punishment for holding protests to demand their constitutional rights. However, the treatment by Pakistan’s security forces is horrendous and gruesome. BBC has reported how a Kashmiri travelling home from Rawalpindi was forced to throw away food items such as flour, rice, sugar, and pulses by security forces. Any Kashmiri carrying food items or fuel is meeting the same fate.
Kashmiris have condemned the “intentional” and “deliberate” action. “The ground reality and public perception clearly suggest that this time the authorities have deliberately targeted food and essential supply lines to weaken the protest movement,” said local author and journalist Danish Irshad. “The apparent thinking is that if people are deprived of basic necessities, they will not be able to sustain resistance for long.”
The Internet is suspended, ATMs and banks are out of service, and even pharmacies cannot get adequate supplies of medicine. Kashmiris cannot have access to their money and essential commodities. Since the Islamabad government asked tourists to leave and did not allow new ones to enter, the majority population in Kashmir, which depends for its livelihoods on tourism are running short of money. Roads have worn a deserted look; taxis have appeared; labourers are sitting idle; and shops are closed.
Among all these, what appears most appalling is the Pakistan government and army’s plan to weaponise hunger and health to break the spirit of Kashmiris. People have called it an extremely terrifying situation. “Mothers watch their babies weaken, the injured rot without medicine, entire towns pushed toward famine,” said Ambreen Ali on X. “This isn’t security; it’s barbaric siege warfare on civilians already bleeding from recent killings and withheld bodies.”