PoK tense after cop dies, many hurt in violence over inflation

Advertisement

New Delhi, May 12

A tense situation prevails in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) after a police officer was killed and over 100 people were injured in violent clashes on Saturday between security forces and protesters agitating against high prices of wheat flour and electricity over the past two days, said media reports from Pakistan.

WON’T TOLERATE VIOLATION OF LAW

While debate, discussion and peaceful protests are the beauties of democracy, there should be absolutely no tolerance for taking the law in one’s own hands and damaging government properties. Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan PM

The violence took place in the wake of a call for a rally and a general strike given by the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) against inflated electricity and wheat prices. Tempers had been running high after 70 members of the JAAC were arrested on Wednesday and Thursday.

The PoK administration has said it has already held talks with some civil society organisations and is ready to partly concede some of the demands.

The deteriorating situation over the past eight months, which culminated in the violence, was deemed concerning enough for Pakistan President Asif Zardari to call a review meeting on Sunday while Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif called for calm. “Unfortunately, in situations of chaos and dissent, there are always some who rush in to score political points. While debate, discussion and peaceful protests are the beauties of democracy, there should be absolutely no tolerance for taking the law in one’s own hands and damaging government properties,” posted Sharif in a post on X.

Videos showed mobs beleaguering policemen and overturning vehicles even as Pakistan Rangers and the police fire live warning shots from automatic rifles.

The action committee has disassociated itself from the violence and said its supporters were not part of the mobs at a couple of places where clashes took place.

The policeman, Sub-Inspector Adnan Qureshi, died from gunshot wounds in the town of Islamgarh, where security forces had been deployed to stop a Joint Awami Action Committee’s march to Muzaffarabad.

The civil disobedience movement has been on for eight months over the twin issues of high electricity bills and wheat prices. Reports say the majority of people in PoK have not paid their bills for at least one year. The locals contend they should get electricity at production rates because hydel projects located in PoK supply much more electricity to the rest of Pakistan.