Authorities in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir(PoJK) have banned the Joint Awami Action Committee which has called for a rally in the territory on Tuesday. The committee is a prominent civil society platform that has, for some months, demonstrated against inflation, the energy crisis, and unemployment, and has called for political and electoral reforms.
But the arrest of dozens of its activists over the weekend seems to have brought the situation to a head. Traders and citizens organised a sit-in protest and shutdown near Chakswari Bazaar, a prominent commercial hub in Mirpur district. Police opened fire and reportedly six people were killed, according to the Dawn newspaper. At least one of them was a member of the Awami Action Committee.
Regional authorities in Pakistan have sought around 14,000 additional security personnel from the federal government to militarise and contain the situation. Amjad Ayu Mirza, a Pakistani political activist for PoJK has strongly criticised this move and urged the United Nations to look into what he calls a worsening humanitarian and political crisis.
Protests and violence have intensified, leading to a ban on mobile and internet services.
Hectic efforts are on to reach a political settlement as the clock ticks for the Tuesday rally. Reports say consensus has been reached on 21 of 38 demands put forward by the committee. But sticking points remain. These include the revocation of 12 reserved seats for refugees, the abolition of the mandatory oath of allegiance to the region’s integrity, and devolution and governance reforms.
The Brighter Kashmir, published from Srinagar, said that Islamabad exercises such extensive control over PoJK that even after more than seven decades, no major regional political party has emerged that can independently and effectively advocate for the interests of the territory.
The committee, for now, is firm that the Tuesday rally will go ahead despite the possibility of more violence.
