At least three people were killed and six others injured when security forces opened fire on protesters who attacked paramilitary Rangers in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, which has been rocked by protests since May 10. Nearly 90 people have been injured in the violent clashes so far.
But what led to massive protests was that paramilitary forces along with the police were called in to tackle the situation. Here's a detailed report.
On May 10 (Friday), Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) gave the strike call after several of its leaders and activists were arrested by police in overnight raids in different parts of Muzaffarabad and Mirpur divisions as they tried to converge upon Pok"s capital to press the government to give in to their demands. The strike led to a confrontation between the security forces and demonstrators according to a local media report. As a result, the outfit declared a complete shutter-down and wheel-jam strike on May 10
It further added that the committee had last month announced that people from across the state would stage a long march towards Muzaffarabad on May 11 (Saturday).
As per a report by Dawn, the JAAC movement demanded that electricity should be provided to consumers following the production cost of hydro-power in the state. It was also protesting against high prices of wheat and inflated electricity bills.
Following clashes, businesses remained closed and normal life was affected during the crippling strike to protest against a police crackdown.
Meanwhile, additional paramilitary Rangers were called in to maintain law and order in the disputed region. However, they came under attack in the regional capital Muzaffarabad while moving out of the town, the Dawn newspaper reported.
The disputed region then witnessed clashes on May 11 (Saturday) between the police and activists of a rights movement, leaving at least one police officer dead and injuring over 100 people, mostly policemen.
Similar protests were reported in the region in August 2023.
On Monday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif approved a Rs 23 billion subsidy for immediate release to the region after the negotiations between the protesters and the regional government ended in a deadlock.
After the subsidy was announced by the government, the movement leaders said they would decide about it after the issuance of notifications.
On Tuesday, the JAAC called off the ongoing protests as the government "accepted all the demands of the protesters", JAAC head Shaukat Nawaz Mir said, asking protesters to return to their homes and businesses.
Meanwhile, the bodies of two of those killed in the violence had been taken by their kin to the ground adjacent to Eidgah, where slogans were heard against the government and the civil armed forces.
Also watch: US warns India of sanctions over Chabahar port deal