ISLAMABAD: Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif approved Monday around $82.6 million (Pak Rs 2,300cr) for Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in a bid to halt violent protests and strikes against escalating electricity tariffs, flour prices and taxes. The protests have left a police officer dead and 90 others, mostly cops, injured in the last few days.
Pakistan’s defense, which maintains a significant presence in the area to protect the Line of Control from India, is in great need of the growing upheaval.
After negotiations with the government reached a deadlock, protesters led by the activist group Awami Action Committee ( AAC ), which has united people and demanded lower prices for essential goods, marched to the regional capital Muzaffarabad on Monday.
At a special appointment in Islamabad, PM Sharif was under pressure to approve the award for PoK, which had been delayed by Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman’s essential trip to Pakistan later this month. Chaudhry Anwarul Haq, the PoK’s prime minister, native officials, and other important people attended the meeting. PoK Prime Minister Haq announced price reductions for power and wheat after the meeting.
However, the majority of PoK’s portable and internet services were temporarily unavailable. Govt agencies, businesses, industry facilities and academic institutes also remained shut.
Locals claim that the protests reflected a general feeling of unease with Islamabad despite the fact that there have n’t been any calls for independence in the current upheaval. Islamabad had previously been accused of thwarting local movements that demanded full democracy.
AAC launched a Muzaffarabad hit on Friday, which quickly sparked violent clashes between law enforcement and AAC. The unrest was fueled by over 70 protesters ‘ arrests. The action announced its protest on Muzaffarabad after conversations between AAC’s main commission and PoK’s chief minister, Dawood Bareach, in Rawalakot ended inconclusively.
Allies Prime Minister Shehbaz and Asif Ali Zardari vowed to speak out against the “genuine needs” of protesters, urging everyone to restrain and resolve conflicts through speech.
