WATCH: PoK's Capital Sees Clashes Amid Total Strike Over Police Crackdown

During a crippling strike in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, businesses were closed, and normal life was significantly disrupted to protest against a police crackdown, resulting in a confrontation between security forces and demonstrators, as reported by a local media outlet on Saturday.

The strike, known as a shutter-down and wheel-jam strike, was organized in Muzaffarabad on Friday by the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC).

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WATCH: PoK's Capital Sees Clashes

Police resorted to teargas shelling after demonstrators began pelting stones, causing disruption to residents in their homes and mosques, as reported by The Dawn Newspaper. Similar protests also took place in other areas of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, including Samahni, Sehansa, Mirpur, Rawalakot, Khuiratta, Tattapani, and Hattian Bala.

The JKJAAC initiated the strike following the arrest of several of its leaders and activists in overnight police raids across Muzaffarabad and Mirpur divisions. The committee had previously announced plans for a long march towards Muzaffarabad on May 11.

In response to the strike, the Chief Secretary of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir wrote to the Secretary of the Interior Division in Islamabad, requesting the deployment of as many as six civil armed forces (CAF) platoons to enhance security on May 11 due to the strike.

To prepare for the strike, authorities imposed Section 144 across Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir and declared holidays in all educational institutions on May 10 and 11. However, despite these measures, thousands of people took to the streets in all districts of Pakistan and occupied Kashmir to participate in the protests.

The movement led by JKJAAC demanded that electricity tariffs for consumers be based on the production cost of hydro-power in the state, as reported by Dawn. In December last year, the JKJAAC reached an understanding with an official reconciliation committee, leading to a government notification issued on February 4.

However, in April, the committee announced plans for the long march on May 11 to protest against the government's alleged failure to fulfil written commitments. According to the Dawn newspaper, all businesses, including banks, remained closed, and traffic as well as vendors were absent from the roads in three districts of Muzaffarabad division during the strike.