Policeman dies in AJK during protests against price hikes
Strike against inflation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir enters third day; Pak PM takes notice; Zardari calls for all stakeholders to show patience; AJK premier invites protesters for talks
A protest against rising costs of food, fuel and utility bills turned violent in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), leaving a police officer dead and dozens of people injured, officials said on Sunday.
Markets, trade centres, offices and schools and restaurants remained closed across the AJK due to the Awami Action Committee (AAC)’S call for a shutter down and wheel-jam strike across the state to protest the electricity price hike and taxes. Traders and protesters also burned tyres to express their anger. A police officer was killed in Dadyal town, authorities said. Police have detained several demonstrators across kashmir. shutter-down strike in various cities of Azad Kashmir continued on the third day.
According to a report, due to the strike, transport and internet services have been closed.
Moreover, strikes and wheel-jams in Muzaffarabad, Poonch, Bagh, Mirpur and Jhelum Valley districts also continued on Sunday. Due to closure of business centres, citizens were facing problems.
Heavy police force has been deployed at various places to control the situation while emergency has been imposed in hospitals and staff holidays have been cancelled.
Chaudhry Anwar-ul Haq, the prime minister in Pakistan-held Kashmir, said he was ready to consider the demands of the protesters but urged them not to indulge in violence.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has taken notice of the situation in AJK and urged Pakistan Muslim League-nawaz (PML-N) leadership and AJK premier Haq to pursue negotiations with the AAC.
Posting on X, he said, “While debate, discussion and peaceful protests are the beauties of democracy, there should be absolutely no tolerance for taking the law in one’s own hands and damaging government properties.”
He added that amidst situations of chaos and dissent, “there will always be people who rush in to score political points.”
Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari on Sunday convened a meeting to discuss how to calm the protests. According to sources, Zardari said all stakeholders should show patience and try to resolve the issues through dialogue and mutual consultation.
Later PM Haq has said he has invited the protesters for talks. Speaking at a press conference, AJK premier said whatever happened in the protest was actually committed by certain extremists, adding the martyrdom of a police officer during the protest is tragic. Haq said that the government has never backed down from negotiations, adding political government solves problems through dialogue.
He invited the action committee for negotiations and said the news about the resignations of commissioners and deputy commissioners is baseless, adding baseless propaganda is being done on social media.
He said if the development budget has to be cut to provide relief on the prices of flour and electricity, then it will be done.
Haq said, “The security of people is our priority. The government has ensured that no force was used during the protest. Some of the protesters were miscreants. An agreement was reached as a result of negotiations with the Public Action Committee.
Meanwhile, the central leadership of the Azad Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (AAC) on Sunday dissociated from violent incidents between protestors and police in AJK.
On Saturday, clashes broke out between demonstrators and law enforcement personnel during a protest against the increase in electricity tariffs in Mirpur. A sub-inspector was martyred and 16 other police officials including a station house officer (SHO) were injured during the clashes.
Members of the committee reiterated their commitment to conducting a peaceful movement and declared that any propaganda against the state of Pakistan on social media is ‘utterly unacceptable.’
It should be noted a protest against exorbitant electricity has intensified in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. During the protest, there were clashes between the police and the protesters at several places and a sub-inspector was martyred and 3 officials were injured in firing.
PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah, adviser to the prime minister on political and public affairs, said that the situation in AJK had been “mishandled” and that the damage could have been mitigated, had both parties chosen the path of negotiation in the first place.