PoJK protests ease as Islamabad, JKJAAC reach draft deal after midnight talks

Muzaffarabad (PoJK): In a major breakthrough, the Pakistan government and the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC) reached a draft agreement late Friday night after marathon negotiations in Muzaffarabad, easing the crisis sparked by widespread protests in PoJK.

The talks, held at a hotel in Upper Chattar, brought together senior federal ministers including Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Rana Sanaullah, Ahsan Iqbal, Tariq Fazal Chaudhry and others, along with PoJK leaders. The JKJAAC team, representing civil society from the Muzaffarabad division, pressed for fulfilment of their 38-point charter of demands.

The protests, which entered their fifth day on Friday, paralysed life in the region with a complete shutdown and communications blackout. Demonstrations centred around demands for political and economic reforms, including abolishing reserved legislative seats for Kashmiri refugees in Pakistan, reducing electricity tariffs, subsidising wheat flour, ending elite privileges, and ensuring free healthcare and education.

(With ANI inputs)