The intense negotiations between the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC) and a high-profile team from Islamabad came to result on midnight on Friday as both sides agreed on a draft with some minor amendments
Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry announced late at night that the final round of negotiations with the JKJAAC had begun and an agreement was scheduled to be signed soon, thereby bringing to an end the protests taking place in PoJK.
Talks between JKJAAC, the PoJK government, and other ministers over privileges for elites and reserved seats for refugees broke down last week, rival groups have since staged protests. The fierce clashes between protesters and law enforcers have left at least 10 people dead and several critically injured.
On Friday, PoJK observed its fifth consecutive day of a shutdown strike, and the communications blackout imposed on Sunday persisted. It follows the administration’s decision to impose an indefinite lockdown amid last week’s protests led by the JKJAAC. The demonstrations, which drew massive public support, centred around a 38-point charter of demands put forward by the committee.
The unrest stems from the government’s failure to address these demands, which include the elimination of reserved seats in PoJK–12 legislative seats reserved for Kashmiri refugees settled in Pakistan were abolished. In addition to political reforms, protesters are also calling for urgent economic relief measures such as slashing electricity tariffs, providing subsidised wheat flour, and ending perks for government officials. They are further demanding free education and health facilities for the people of PoJK.
