AJK protests called off after govt accepts demands

MUZAFFARABAD: The Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) announced on Tuesday that it was calling off the ongoing protests in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) against soaring inflation, high taxes and electricity bills a day after the government accepted their demands announcing relevant relief.

“The government accepted all the demands of the protesters yesterday,” a JAAC representative said in a statement referring to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s announcement of a Rs23 billion subsidy package for the people of AJK.

“The shutter-down strike is being called off,” he said while referring to the government’s announcement of a Rs1,100/40kg reduction in wheat prices along with the provision of electricity at production cost.

He, however, added that a state-wide shutter down was to be observed till 3pm on Tuesday to honour the people who were killed in the protests.Highlighting the notification of the constitution of a judicial commission on the issue of perks and privileges enjoyed by the ruling elite, the JAAC representative also said all those arrested during the protests would be freed as well and the cases registered against the demonstrators would be annulled.

Speaking to Geo News, JAAC leader Shaukat Nawaz Mir expressed gratitude to PM Shehbaz for accepting the demands they had been asking for more than a year.

“[Our protest] movement had three basic demands [which were] cheap flour, cheap electricity and the abolition of privileges for the elite [class],” Mir said while lamenting the suspension of internet services which, according to him, prevented the news of successful talks from reaching the protesters.

Earlier in the day, the JAAC had announced observing “black day” to honour the three people who had died in clashes with the law enforcement agencies, which saw dozens of people being injured along with the death of a policeman during the four-day protests.

The committee also announced holding funeral prayers for the deceased at 2pm at the University Ground on Tuesday.The demonstrations continued on the fourth day on Monday despite the federal and AJK governments’ announcement of accepting all the demands of the protesters.

A day earlier, PM Shehbaz announced a Rs23 billion subsidy package for the AJK during a high-level meeting convened in relation to the turmoil in the valley after negotiations between the AJK government and the JAAC ended in a deadlock.

Following the huddle, AJK PM Chaudhry Anwarul Haq announced the issuance of notification regarding subsidies for power and food commodities and expressed hope that peace would be restored in the region after the implementation of the much-anticipated notifications.