Pak govt bows to protesters, accepts 21 key demands after deadly unrest in PoK

After a week of violent unrest and mass demonstrations in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) that left at least 12 people dead, the Pakistani government and the Awami Action Committee (AAC) have reached a long-awaited reconciliation — a fragile truce that brings the region's most significant protest movement in recent years to an uneasy close.

The deal, finalised on Friday after marathon negotiations, marks a rare moment of compromise between Islamabad and PoK's restive civil groups.

Under the agreement, the government has accepted 21 out of 38 demands raised by the AAC, which had spearheaded a movement over rising electricity prices, lack of autonomy, and poor governance.

As part of the settlement, those responsible for the violence and killings during the protests will face prosecution under anti-terrorism laws, while a judicial inquiry will probe the deaths. The government also agreed to compensate the families of the deceased at the same rate as government employees, offer one family member a job within 20 days, and grant Rs 10 lakh each to the injured.

In a gesture of remembrance, the AAC announced that it would hold three days of mourning processions to honour those killed in the unrest before formally ending its street protests.

The agreement also includes a sweeping set of administrative and developmental commitments in PoK. Islamabad has promised to establish two new education boards - an Intermediate Board and a Higher Secondary Education Board — and link all existing ones to Pakistan's central education system within 30 days.

In the long-contested Mangla Dam compensation case, land will be allotted to extended families of Mirpur district within 30 days. The PoK Government Act will be amended within 90 days to align it with the original 1990 Local Government Act and relevant Supreme Court rulings.

Pakistan has also pledged Rs 100 million to strengthen the region's power supply system, while the PoK Cabinet will be restricted to 20 ministers and advisers to curb administrative costs.

Two tunnels will be built in PoK with assistance from the Saudi Development Fund, while a six-member joint committee — with representatives from the federal government, PoK administration, and AAC — will review the issue of 12 reserved assembly seats for migrants from India.

Refugees in Mendor Colony, Dadyal, will be granted ownership rights, and the transport policy for 1300 cc vehicles will be revised per court orders.

All protesters arrested in Rawalpindi and Islamabad on October 2 and 3 will also be released.

Analysts see the reconciliation as a necessary but fragile pause in PoK's deepening governance crisis. The AAC's ability to extract major concessions — from legal reforms to economic relief — underscores the growing discontent in the territory, long plagued by neglect and economic disparity.