ISLAMABAD: A police officer was killed and more than 100 people were injured in violent clashes between security forces and protesters agitating against high prices of wheat flour and electricity in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. This information was given in media reports on Sunday.
According to Dawn newspaper report, there were clashes between police and rights movement activists in the disputed area on Saturday and chakka jam and shutter down strike was observed in the entire area.
Mirpur Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kamran Ali told Dawn.com that sub-inspector Adnan Qureshi died after being shot in the chest in Islamgarh city, where he was joining other police personnel to stop a rally for Muzaffarabad. Were deployed together. Kotli and Poonch districts under the banner of Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC).The JAAC, which has traders at the forefront in most parts of the state, is demanding provision of power according to hydropower generation cost in the region, end to subsidies on wheat flour and privileges of the elite class.
On Wednesday and Thursday, police arrested around 70 JAAC activists during raids on their and their relatives' residences in Muzaffarba and Mirpur divisions, leading to serious clashes in Dadiyal on Thursday.
Following this, the committee had announced a shutter-down and wheel-jam strike on Friday, a day before its planned long march towards Muzaffarabad on Saturday.
Amid the strike on Friday, violent clashes took place between police and protesters in different areas of Muzaffarabad, the capital of PoK.
On Saturday, authorities laid mounds of earth on the arteries leading to Muzaffarabad to prevent people from moving towards the state capital, besides making more arrests.
Eyewitnesses said full-scale attacks took place in Muzaffarabad Division and Poonch Division.The regional government has called in a large number of police personnel to prevent large-scale protests.
At least one police officer and a young boy were injured, SSP Yasin Baig said, adding that police deployed tear gas shells and fired in the air in some areas after protesters pelted stones and threw bottles.
Kotli SSP Mir Muhammad Abid said at least 78 policemen were injured in the district in "attacks by miscreants under the cover of protests".
The SSP said 59 policemen, including Deputy Superintendent of Police Ilya Janjua and two revenue department officials, were injured in Rehan Gali, while 19 other policemen were injured in Sahansa Baroian.
A press release from the district headquarters hospital Kotli said that apart from the 59 injured policemen, nine injured protesters were also brought for treatment.SSP Abid said that there is news of some police officers also being injured in Doli Jattan.
According to Geo News, a total of 29 protesters were injured in the clash.
JAAC spokesperson Hafeez Hamdani said that the action committee has nothing to do with violence.
"It seems that such elements have been deliberately created among the protesters to discredit the struggle whose aim is nothing other than the legitimate rights of the people," he said.
Addressing a press conference on Saturday, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir Finance Minister Abdul Majeed Khan said the government had “exercised maximum restraint and is ready for talks to resolve all contentious issues peacefully.,
“The issues have to be resolved through dialogue and our doors are always open for dialogue. But this proposal should not be considered a weakness of the government.
He said the government had accepted all the demands of the action committee, following which an agreement was signed between the committee and government negotiators, including the provision of targeted subsidies on flour and freezing of electricity tariffs at June 2022 levels. But the committee later withdrew from the agreement. And announced protests regarding new demands.
PoK's so-called Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq said the government is ready to provide relief in the prices of electricity and wheat flour after violent protests in Mirpur left one officer dead and over 70 others injured.
Geo News quoted Haq as saying, “The government held talks with the Awami Action Committee (AAC) and reached an agreement, which we are committed to implementing."
According to Dawn newspaper report, there were clashes between police and rights movement activists in the disputed area on Saturday and chakka jam and shutter down strike was observed in the entire area.
Mirpur Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kamran Ali told Dawn.com that sub-inspector Adnan Qureshi died after being shot in the chest in Islamgarh city, where he was joining other police personnel to stop a rally for Muzaffarabad. Were deployed together. Kotli and Poonch districts under the banner of Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC).The JAAC, which has traders at the forefront in most parts of the state, is demanding provision of power according to hydropower generation cost in the region, end to subsidies on wheat flour and privileges of the elite class.
On Wednesday and Thursday, police arrested around 70 JAAC activists during raids on their and their relatives' residences in Muzaffarba and Mirpur divisions, leading to serious clashes in Dadiyal on Thursday.
Following this, the committee had announced a shutter-down and wheel-jam strike on Friday, a day before its planned long march towards Muzaffarabad on Saturday.
Amid the strike on Friday, violent clashes took place between police and protesters in different areas of Muzaffarabad, the capital of PoK.
On Saturday, authorities laid mounds of earth on the arteries leading to Muzaffarabad to prevent people from moving towards the state capital, besides making more arrests.
Eyewitnesses said full-scale attacks took place in Muzaffarabad Division and Poonch Division.The regional government has called in a large number of police personnel to prevent large-scale protests.
At least one police officer and a young boy were injured, SSP Yasin Baig said, adding that police deployed tear gas shells and fired in the air in some areas after protesters pelted stones and threw bottles.
Kotli SSP Mir Muhammad Abid said at least 78 policemen were injured in the district in "attacks by miscreants under the cover of protests".
The SSP said 59 policemen, including Deputy Superintendent of Police Ilya Janjua and two revenue department officials, were injured in Rehan Gali, while 19 other policemen were injured in Sahansa Baroian.
A press release from the district headquarters hospital Kotli said that apart from the 59 injured policemen, nine injured protesters were also brought for treatment.SSP Abid said that there is news of some police officers also being injured in Doli Jattan.
According to Geo News, a total of 29 protesters were injured in the clash.
JAAC spokesperson Hafeez Hamdani said that the action committee has nothing to do with violence.
"It seems that such elements have been deliberately created among the protesters to discredit the struggle whose aim is nothing other than the legitimate rights of the people," he said.
Addressing a press conference on Saturday, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir Finance Minister Abdul Majeed Khan said the government had “exercised maximum restraint and is ready for talks to resolve all contentious issues peacefully.,
“The issues have to be resolved through dialogue and our doors are always open for dialogue. But this proposal should not be considered a weakness of the government.
He said the government had accepted all the demands of the action committee, following which an agreement was signed between the committee and government negotiators, including the provision of targeted subsidies on flour and freezing of electricity tariffs at June 2022 levels. But the committee later withdrew from the agreement. And announced protests regarding new demands.
PoK's so-called Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq said the government is ready to provide relief in the prices of electricity and wheat flour after violent protests in Mirpur left one officer dead and over 70 others injured.
Geo News quoted Haq as saying, “The government held talks with the Awami Action Committee (AAC) and reached an agreement, which we are committed to implementing."
