Pakistan PM Sharif Intervenes as PoK Unrest Escalates with Casualties

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed "deep concern" over the spiraling law and order crisis, announcing an expansion of the negotiation committee to defuse the volatile situation. The move follows a devastating three-day strike by the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC), triggered by stalled talks between protesters, PoK representatives, and the federal government, resulting in at least six civilian deaths, three police fatalities, and over 200 injuries.

Sharif's intervention came as reports painted a grim picture of chaos across key PoK cities like Muzaffarabad, Mirpur, and Kotli. Local authorities confirmed 172 police officers wounded, with 12 in critical condition, while around 50 civilians suffered injuries from clashes that saw rival protest groups accuse each other of inciting violence. Media footage revealed shuttered shops, empty streets devoid of public transport, and near-deserted schools, underscoring the strike's crippling impact on daily life.

"Deeply troubled by these unfortunate incidents," Sharif's office stated, ordering a transparent probe into the violence and instructing law enforcement to show "restraint and patience." He appealed for calm, reminding citizens that peaceful protests are a constitutional right but urging avoidance of disruptions to public order. To broker peace, Sharif broadened the existing committee—already led by PoK "Prime Minister" Chaudhry Anwarul Haq and Federal Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry—to include heavyweights like Senator Rana Sanaullah, Ministers Sardar Yusuf and Ahsan Iqbal, former PoK "President" Masood Khan, and ex-minister Qamar Zaman Kaira. Fresh dialogue invitations were extended to JKJAAC on Wednesday, with Chaudhry claiming 90% of their 38-point demands, including abolishing 12 reserved legislative seats for refugees and curbing elite privileges, have been accepted—with federal ministers as guarantors for implementation.

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The protests, which erupted late September, have snowballed into one of PoK's largest uprisings in decades, fueled by grievances over economic neglect, skyrocketing flour and electricity prices, and exploitative projects like the Mangla Dam and Neelum-Jhelum hydropower schemes that siphon local resources without benefits. Demonstrators blocked the strategic China-Pakistan Karakoram Highway in Gilgit-Baltistan, chanting against federal "occupation" and demanding autonomy. Authorities responded with an internet blackout starting September 29, deployment of Rangers and paramilitary forces from Punjab, and reports of army firing that escalated the toll to eight deaths by October 1, including fresh clashes in Dadyal where locals toppled security barricades.

Videos circulating on social media captured protesters shoving aside massive containers on bridges and brandishing bullet casings allegedly from Pakistani forces, amplifying calls for "freedom from forced occupation." The UKPNP decried the crackdown as suppression of a "legitimate, non-violent movement," while Pakistani officials bizarrely deflected blame toward India, claiming external interference benefits New Delhi. As Sharif, recently returned from diplomatic jaunts in the US and UK, scrambles to contain the fallout, analysts warn the unrest could reverberate nationally, exposing fissures in his fragile coalition amid economic woes. With JKJAAC vowing no retreat until full demands are met, PoK remains a powder keg, testing Islamabad's grip on the disputed territory.

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