PoK Protests End with Peace Pact After Deadly Clashes and Shutdowns

In a pivotal move to quell escalating unrest in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), the federal government and representatives of the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC) signed a comprehensive 25-point agreement on Saturday, effectively halting five days of paralyzing shutdowns and violent demonstrations that have gripped the region. The accord, forged after marathon negotiations in Muzaffarabad, addresses long-standing grievances over governance, infrastructure, and economic disparities, marking a rare instance of dialogue triumphing over deadlock in the volatile territory.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's swift deployment of a high-level delegation underscored the gravity of the crisis, which had spiraled from a planned strike into deadly confrontations, leaving at least 10 dead—including three police personnel—and hundreds injured among civilians and law enforcement. As roads reopen and protesters disperse to their homes, the agreement signals a fragile peace, but lingering questions about implementation and deeper autonomy demands cast shadows on its longevity.

Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, a key negotiator, heralded the breakthrough on X (formerly Twitter), posting: “Negotiating delegation has signed the final agreement with the Action Committee.... The protesters are returning to their homes. All roads have been reopened. This is a victory for peace.” The document, promptly shared online, outlines enforceable timelines and accountability mechanisms, reflecting concessions that blend immediate relief with structural overhauls, a concession wrested from federal coffers strained by Pakistan's economic woes.

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Central to the 25-point pact are targeted investments and reforms aimed at addressing PoK's chronic underdevelopment. The federal government pledged PKR 10 billion (approximately $36 million) for overhauling the territory's erratic electricity grid, a perennial flashpoint amid frequent blackouts crippling households and industries. Healthcare gets a boost with health cards for free treatment rollout within 15 days, alongside phased installation of MRI and CT scan machines in every district hospital—vital upgrades for a region where medical evacuations to Pakistan proper often prove fatal delays.

Education sees the creation of two new intermediate and secondary boards in Muzaffarabad and Poonch divisions to decentralize oversight, while infrastructure ambitions include feasibility studies for tunnels along the Neelum Valley road (3.7 km at Kahori/Kamser and 0.6 km at Chaplani) to slash travel times and boost tourism. Governance streamlining mandates capping the PoK cabinet at 20 ministers/advisors and administrative secretaries at 20, with departmental mergers to curb corruption and inefficiency.

Property transfer taxes will align with Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa rates within three months, easing economic pressures on locals, and an international airport at Mirpur is greenlit for planning. Victim compensation for the deceased, alongside terrorism charges for vandalism-linked fatalities, aims to foster reconciliation, while a high-powered legal committee will scrutinize PoK Assembly membership rules.

As the ink dries on this accord, monitored by a joint implementation committee, PoK tentatively exhales from its fifth straight day of shutdowns, where public transport ground to a halt and only motorcycles dared the debris-strewn streets. The persistent blackout, now partially lifted, had amplified isolation, with families resorting to word-of-mouth networks for news of loved ones. While JKJAAC leaders hailed the deal as a "people's victory," skeptics among the youth warn that without addressing core issues like resource allocation from Pakistan's national budget—PoK receives a fixed 9% hydropower royalty despite generating far more—the peace could fray.

For Sharif's coalition, already navigating domestic inflation protests, this resolution bolsters his mediator credentials ahead of elections, yet failure to deliver could reignite the tinderbox, reminding all that in PoK's contested corridors, agreements are as fragile as the Line of Control they border.

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