Nosheen Khawaja
MUZAFFARABAD: Pakistan Rangers and Army have been called out in Pakistan Administered Kashmir (PAK) to assist the police and civil administration in bringing the violent situation under control as one police officer was killed and several others including civilians were injured in clashes between police and protestors on the second day of strike on Saturday.
Videos sent by Nosheen Khawaja and in circulation on social media. The authenticity of some videos cannot be verified.
According to senior officials of PAK, there were speculations of imposition of emergency in view of the incidents of violence and arson spread to many towns of the province since Friday during the shutter-down and wheel-jam strike. The violent clashes were also witnessed in smaller towns of PAK where the demonstrators protested against use of excessive force against the civilians.
A police officer died due to gunshot wounds during clashes between protesters and police in Islam Garh Town, Mirpur district, on Saturday. The shutter-down and wheel-jam strike to protest the crackdown against the Jammu Kashmir Joint Action Committee leaders across Pakistan-Administered Kashmir for the second consecutive day.
The call for the strike was issued by the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee on Thursday.
“Sub-Inspector Adnan Farooq succumbed to fatal gunshot wounds sustained during the clashes. Farooq received a bullet injury in his chest and tragically succumbed to blood loss en route to the hospital,” a senior police officer, who did not want to be identified, in Mirpur said. He added that there were no clear details about who fired the bullet that wounded the police officer.
The police official stated that they were investigating the matter. There are also reports of a young boy being injured, although the circumstances surrounding his injury remain unclear.
The clashes erupted as hundreds of protesters were heading towards Muzaffarabad to take part in a planned protest in front of the assembly building on May 14, called by the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee to press the regional government to accept their demands.
The clashes spilled over into Sehnsa Kotli, where demonstrators briefly detained a police officer and an assistant commissioner in protest against what they perceived as excessive force. Both of them were released unharmed, according to police. Elsewhere in Kotli, including Kotli city, hundreds of people have gathered to rally towards Muzaffarabad to join the planned protest, according to eyewitnesses and officials. They say that several policemen and civilians were wounded in clashes between police and protesters.
A video circulating on social media from Kotli district shows a group of protesters evacuating injured policemen while some protesters hit them with sticks. In the capital city of Muzaffarabad, clashes between demonstrators and police intensified for the third consecutive day.
Protesters hurled rocks, while police responded with aerial firing, tear gas, and baton charges, eyewitnesses reported. Friday’s clashes resulted in injuries to 12 policemen and a woman, including a child, police said.
A grid station was also damaged in firing on Friday, with protesters accusing police of firing and police accusing protesters.
On Saturday, several policemen and civilians were injured amidst the ongoing clashes. However, a young boy narrowly avoided falling into the Neelum River in Muzaffarabad city while attempting to protect himself from police assault.
When clashes were taking place, at the same time the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee held a rally in Muzaffarabad city on Saturday and dispersed peacefully.
Educational institutions were not spared from the clashes. In Dadyal, eyewitnesses reported that 20 schoolgirls fainted when a tear gas shell landed in Government Girls High School during Thursday’s clashes. They were immediately taken to the hospital in private vans, received treatment, and were later discharged.
Additionally, around a dozen police officers sustained injuries during rock pelting in Dadyal on the same day, according to police officials. “Authorities have detained over 100 people across Pakistan-administered Kashmir to thwart the planned protests by the Joint Awami Action Committee in Muzaffarabad in front of the assembly building on May 14.
Roads leading to Muzaffarabad have been barricaded with large stone boulders, mud and sand to deter further protests, though demonstrators from other districts remain determined to join the planned rally. Despite calls from Joint Awami Action Committee leader Shaukat Nawaz Mir to remain peaceful, underlying discontent among the population persists.
Another Joint Awami Action Committee leader, Faisal Jamil Kashmir, sought intervention from the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shahbaz Sharif, referring to the serious situation in the region.
On Friday, Prime Minister of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, Chaudhry Anwar-ul-Haq, relayed a message to the Joint Public Action Committee of Jammu and Kashmir, appealing for peace amidst the imposition of Section 144 CrPC in the state, which prohibits assembly of more than four people.
“Stay peaceful,” urged Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq, “even after the strike; the government is ready for negotiations.” He further highlighted the significance of Muzaffarabad, stating, “It was built bit by bit after the earthquake.”
Commissioner Muzaffarabad division, Masood ur Rahman, reiterated the Prime Minister’s message to the media and said he conveyed his message to the Jammu and Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee, urging demonstrators to hold their protests peacefully.
He emphasized the government’s commitment to dialogue, stating, “The official reconciliation committee of cabinet members has held negotiations with the Action Committee in the past. Those in the action committee are our brothers. The atmosphere of agitation should not be created today. There is a restriction on gatherings and processions.
Calling for maintenance of peace, he said, “Record peaceful protests. If you want to sit at the table today, we are ready.”
In the past month, the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee declared their plan to march towards Muzaffarabad on May 11, gathering in front of the assembly to demand the government to address their demands.
Leading a rights movement against “unjust taxes and charges” on electricity bills, the committee staged a shutter-down strike last August for the same cause. Their demands include fair pricing for electricity based on the production cost of hydel power in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, along with stripping the ruling elite of their privileges.
Following an agreement with an official reconciliation committee in December, a government notification was issued on February 4. However, in April, “dissatisfaction with the government’s failure” to meet written commitments prompted the committee to announce a long march on May 11.
The decision for a shutdown and strike came after the regional government initiated a crackdown on committee leaders. Presently, the committee suggests a gathering in Muzaffarabad on May 14.
Meanwhile, the police turned away 200 tourists at Kohala, a border between Pakistan and its administered Kashmir.
On Friday, the tourism police had already issued an advisory advising tourists to avoid traveling to Pakistan-administered Kashmir for two days. As both authorities and the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee navigate this delicate balance between maintaining order and upholding the right to peaceful protest, the situation remains fluid, with tensions running high across the region.
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