Shops and markets remained shut across parts of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) on Tuesday following a strike call by the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), as tensions continued to simmer after recent clashes with security forces that have reportedly left more than 20 people dead.

Around 2,000 JAAC supporters launched a protest march from Bhimber and were expected to travel via Mirpur to Muzaffarabad, BBC Urdu reported. Another group of protesters was scheduled to move from Rawalakot to the regional capital.

Security forces maintained a heavy presence across the region, with police and paramilitary personnel patrolling key routes and urban centres.

In Muzaffarabad, streets wore a deserted look, with most businesses remaining closed and traffic largely absent, according to Dawn. While riot police and paramilitary personnel remained deployed, no major protests were reported in the city.

Hundreds of people, however, gathered at Mirpur's Quaid-i-Azam Stadium in response to the strike call.

The JAAC has been spearheading protests over demands for subsidised flour and electricity, but its latest agitation has centred on the abolition of 12 "refugee seats" in the PoK Legislative Assembly.

The seats, 12 of the assembly's 53 total, are reserved for refugees from Kashmir who settled in Pakistan after 1947. The JAAC alleges the arrangement allows Islamabad to retain political influence in the region irrespective of local electoral outcomes.

The current unrest was triggered by the administration's decision on June 5 to ban the JAAC, citing concerns over public order and security. A day later, a trader was shot during clashes between police and protesters, setting off a cycle of violence.

Tensions escalated further on June 8 in Rawalakot when Pakistani Rangers confronted JAAC supporters gathered at a hospital mortuary and attending funerals for those killed in earlier incidents.

The legal fraternity in PoK also joined the agitation, boycotting court proceedings on the call of the Bar Council to protest the alleged arrest of senior lawyer Amjad Ali Khan, a core JAAC member.

Pakistan's human rights body on Monday said it was "deeply alarmed" by the violence and the continuing clashes in the region.

Amid the unrest, authorities on Tuesday announced a reward of Rs 10 million for information leading to the arrest of key JAAC leaders, including Shaukat Nawaz Mir, Omar Nazir Kashmiri, Sardar Aman and Khawaja Mehran.

An official notification said the identities of informants would be kept confidential.

Meanwhile, PoK Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore called for dialogue to end the crisis, saying contentious issues such as the refugee-seat arrangement required careful consideration but should be resolved through negotiations rather than confrontation.

India on Tuesday strongly criticised Islamabad over the violence, accusing Pakistan of "brutality" against people in PoK and calling on the international community to hold it accountable for alleged human rights abuses.