At least three police personnel were killed and dozens injured in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir ( PoK) as the region witnessed a strike for the second consecutive day, according to media reports on Wednesday.
The strike, called by the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC) over the issue of its unfulfilled charter of demands, saw simultaneous protests by rival groups, which accused each other of fomenting violence during an otherwise peaceful demonstration.
Geo News reported that the federal government once again offered negotiations to the JKJAAC amid ongoing protests, which claimed the lives of three police personnel and injured over 100. It was not clear if all the injured were police personnel or also included some civilians.
Federal Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry told reporters on Wednesday that "90 per cent of the committee's demands have already been accepted... federal ministers stand as guarantors to ensure implementation of these demands."
The channel reported that shops, hotels, and commercial centres across Muzaffarabad remained closed, while public transport disappeared from the roads. Although schools were officially open, classrooms were largely empty as students stayed home.
The JKPAAC has issued a 38-point charter of demands, including ending 12 reserved seats for refugees and rolling back "privileges of the elite", The News reported.
Addressing a press conference along with PoK "Prime Minister" Chaudhry Anwarul Haq, Fazal explained that two demands, including abolishing seats reserved for refugees in the Legislative Assembly and reducing the number of ministers, required constitutional amendments.
The minister emphasised that the government was still willing to negotiate openly on these two points.
Chaudhry slammed the action committee for taking the protest into a dead end, warning that protests would not deliver results nor provide a solution.
"We do not want violence..., nor do we want our enemy to benefit from it," Chaudhry said, as he urged the action committee members to sit down for dialogue.
He revealed that 12 hours of negotiations had already taken place, resulting in a written agreement. Action committee members, he said, had also sought corrections in the document, which were accepted.
Despite this, Chaudhry said, the action committee resumed protests on September 29, which were unnecessary.
Meanwhile, PoK premier Haq stressed that negotiations were the only civilised way to resolve disputes and insisted there was no benefit to continuing protests.
Haq confirmed that three policemen had been killed and more than one hundred injured in the unrest, including eight critically wounded. He said the government placed equal value on the lives of both police and civilians.
He added that the government was ready to resume talks from the point where they had stalled, and cabinet members were present in Muzaffarabad and Rawalakot for the purpose.
He urged the action committee to stop agitation and return to the negotiation table, warning that inciting people through citizens would only push matters towards anarchy.
He further said that the incidents, including the burning of a school building during protests, demonstrated why dialogue was essential.
"Public rights are buried where human lives are lost," Haq said.
Earlier, Dawn newspaper reported that at least one person was killed and over a dozen others injured - including a policeman - in PoK on Monday, as the region observed a shutdown and wheel-jam strike amid a communications blackout.
Mobile and internet services have remained suspended in PoK since Sunday noon, and sources said the curbs could continue.
Reports also suggested that similar protests were staged in Rawalakot and Sudhnoti, while in Bhimber, a rally was led by Haq's brother, Ehsanul Haq, who is associated with the PTI of Imran Khan.
The strike, called by the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC) over the issue of its unfulfilled charter of demands, saw simultaneous protests by rival groups, which accused each other of fomenting violence during an otherwise peaceful demonstration.
Geo News reported that the federal government once again offered negotiations to the JKJAAC amid ongoing protests, which claimed the lives of three police personnel and injured over 100. It was not clear if all the injured were police personnel or also included some civilians.
Federal Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry told reporters on Wednesday that "90 per cent of the committee's demands have already been accepted... federal ministers stand as guarantors to ensure implementation of these demands."
The channel reported that shops, hotels, and commercial centres across Muzaffarabad remained closed, while public transport disappeared from the roads. Although schools were officially open, classrooms were largely empty as students stayed home.
The JKPAAC has issued a 38-point charter of demands, including ending 12 reserved seats for refugees and rolling back "privileges of the elite", The News reported.
Addressing a press conference along with PoK "Prime Minister" Chaudhry Anwarul Haq, Fazal explained that two demands, including abolishing seats reserved for refugees in the Legislative Assembly and reducing the number of ministers, required constitutional amendments.
The minister emphasised that the government was still willing to negotiate openly on these two points.
Chaudhry slammed the action committee for taking the protest into a dead end, warning that protests would not deliver results nor provide a solution.
"We do not want violence..., nor do we want our enemy to benefit from it," Chaudhry said, as he urged the action committee members to sit down for dialogue.
He revealed that 12 hours of negotiations had already taken place, resulting in a written agreement. Action committee members, he said, had also sought corrections in the document, which were accepted.
Despite this, Chaudhry said, the action committee resumed protests on September 29, which were unnecessary.
Meanwhile, PoK premier Haq stressed that negotiations were the only civilised way to resolve disputes and insisted there was no benefit to continuing protests.
Haq confirmed that three policemen had been killed and more than one hundred injured in the unrest, including eight critically wounded. He said the government placed equal value on the lives of both police and civilians.
He added that the government was ready to resume talks from the point where they had stalled, and cabinet members were present in Muzaffarabad and Rawalakot for the purpose.
He urged the action committee to stop agitation and return to the negotiation table, warning that inciting people through citizens would only push matters towards anarchy.
He further said that the incidents, including the burning of a school building during protests, demonstrated why dialogue was essential.
"Public rights are buried where human lives are lost," Haq said.
Earlier, Dawn newspaper reported that at least one person was killed and over a dozen others injured - including a policeman - in PoK on Monday, as the region observed a shutdown and wheel-jam strike amid a communications blackout.
Mobile and internet services have remained suspended in PoK since Sunday noon, and sources said the curbs could continue.
Reports also suggested that similar protests were staged in Rawalakot and Sudhnoti, while in Bhimber, a rally was led by Haq's brother, Ehsanul Haq, who is associated with the PTI of Imran Khan.
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