ISLAMABAD: The government in Azad Kashmir has reached an agreement with a civil rights alliance to end days of unrest in the northern Pakistani region, a Pakistani federal minister announced on Saturday, following the killing of at least nine people in deadly clashes.
The clashes erupted after calls for an indefinite ‘lockdown’ by the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC) from Sept. 29, seeking removal of perks for government officials, ending 12 seats in the regional assembly reserved for Kashmiri migrants who came from the Indian-side of the territory, and royalty for hydel power projects.
The protests have turned violent as protesters and police came face to face and clashed at various locations, with authorities confirming killing of six civilians and three policemen this week. The crisis prompted Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to send a negotiations team to the territory to join the regional government in talks with the protesters.
“It was the wisdom of local and national leadership and the spirit of dialogue that enabled us to resolve this stand-off peacefully, without violence, without division, and with mutual respect,” Pakistani Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, who was part of the negotiations, said on X.
