MUZAFFARABAD: A nearly two-week standoff between protesters and police in Azad Jammu and Kashmir has left residents grappling with food shortages, while the death toll from clashes rose to 22, according to an AFP tally on Wednesday.
Sardar Waheed, the top civil official in Rawalakot which has been a focal point of the protest started by Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), said two more people had been killed dur ing clashes in recent days.
That lifted the death toll to 22 since June 5, from 20 confirmed on Friday based on statements to AFP from officials in three separate districts, including Rawalakot.The toll includes four law enforcement personnel. Protests, sit-ins and business strikes have paralysed daily life in many towns across the region, according to officials and residents who also reported widespread mobile internet outages.In the regional capital Muzaffarabad, streets were quiet and residents com plained of difficulty access ing crucial supplies.
“I have been searching for medicine everywhere, but I cannot find it. Even big stores are closed,” 64-year old Muzaffarabad resident Muhammad Masqeen told AFP on Tuesday. For shops that were open, supply disruptions were limiting stock. “For eight days, we have been going through very difficult times. Markets are closed, and there is very lit tle to eat except vegetables,” said Sabar Hussain, 60. Authorities said they had ordered shops to open, and local government spokes man Shoaib Javed Mir said officials were working to prevent any shortages of essential supplies.
