A protest in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir left one police officer dead and over 90 people injured on Saturday, local officials reported to Pakistani media, according to an article on Jurist.org. The troubled region, known as Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) in Pakistan, experienced major strife starting past Thursday, punctuated by a significant strike on Friday.
Residents have been protesting the escalating costs of food and utilities, especially those of electricity and wheat. The Jammu Kashmir Awami Action Committee (JAAC), who organized the protests, found 70 of its members arrested on Wednesday and Thursday night. This led to ensuing clashes in the Dadyal area on Thursday, resulting in a JAAC-announced strike on Friday. Following the strike, violent clashes with police ensued in Muzaffarabad, where officers used tear gas against protestors armed with stones and bottles.
Sub-inspector Adnan Qureshi, who had been deployed to control the protests, was fatally shot. The Kotli Senior Superintendent of Police reported at least 78 police officers were injured, while The District Headquarters Hospital confirmed the treatment of 59 police personnel alongside nine injured protestors.
Responding to the crisis, JAAC spokesman Hafeez Hamdani denied any linkage of JAAC to the violence. Area government officials, including AJK Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq and Finance Minister Abdul Majid Khan, condemned the events and proposed peaceful talks. Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari made arrangements for a Sunday meeting to discuss the situation.
The decorum of the police faced criticism from PTI, the party of former prime minister Imran Khan. PTI decried the treatment of protesters, stating on X that the “continuous harassment and violence” against peaceful protestors in AJK were “absolutely unacceptable and condemnable.”
These protests are reflective of economic strains, with Pakistan’s inflation rate currently standing at 17%. Previous agreements between JAAC and the government have fallen short, keeping the local tensions high.