Pakistan, Protesters Strike Deal to End POK Unrest

After five days of violent unrest that left at least 10 people dead and hundreds injured, the Pakistan government and protest leaders in Pakistani side of Kashmir (PoK) signed a 25-point agreement late Friday night to end the mass demonstrations that had paralysed the region.

- KO News Desk

The deal, reached following marathon negotiations between a federal delegation and the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC), comes as a relief to residents of the mountainous territory where a strike called on September 29 had escalated into deadly clashes with security forces.

The protests erupted when talks collapsed between officials and the JKJAAC, a representative body of traders, activists and civil society groups that had tabled a 38-point charter of demands earlier this year.

Clashes between demonstrators and security forces left six civilians and three police officers dead, according to officials, while nearly 172 policemen and around 50 civilians sustained injuries. Protesters accused paramilitary forces of opening fire, while authorities blamed “miscreants” for instigating violence.