Pak cracks down on protests in POK against rising cost of living, 20 feared dead

Around 20 civilians are feared killed, several are missing, and around 200 were injured in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir's Rawalakot and neighbouring areas, after Pakistani security forces fired on people protesting against the rising cost of living.

The death toll from months of civil unrest is estimated to more than 200.The military has been accused of using rocket-propelled grenades and drones at agitators protesting against soaring electricity tariffs, wheat subsidy cuts, heavy taxation and violence against local civil rights activists.The protesters allege that security units moved in under the cover of strict curfews to clear a sit-in site and fired indiscriminately at people at various locations.

In a video uploaded on social media, JAAC leader Sardar Umar Nazir showed that fragments of bombs were recovered after a drone strike on residential localities and accused Pakistani govt of attacking agitators from multiple directions.Late Friday, videos from Umar Farooq Chowk in Rawalkot showed an undeterred crowd of thousands at the sit-in site, raising slogans of resistance against military and govt. The crackdown has marked an escalation in regional tension with protests expanding to Muzaffarabad, sources said.

The trigger for the prolonged demonstrations in Rawalakot has been Pakistani govt's failure to deliver on a 38-point charter of rights, sources said, adding that Pakistani authorities' use of extreme force has further alienated locals. With several disappearances being reported, locals are also opposing against mass detentions. Social media accounts reporting the region's situation from other locations have uploaded videos showing how security blockades have brought daily life to a virtual standstill and local businesses remain shuttered.