Muzaffarabad (Pakistan-administered Kashmir): At least nine people, including a police officer and a paramilitary personnel, were killed and around a dozen others injured in fresh clashes between supporters of a banned protest group and security forces in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, officials said on Wednesday.
The violence erupted on Tuesday in Poonch district, where demonstrations have intensified over demands for economic and governance reforms.
“Seven civilians, one paramilitary personnel and one police officer were killed during violence that erupted on Tuesday,” the district’s top civilian official Sardar Waheed said.
The came after supporters of the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) announced plans to march to the regional capital, Muzaffarabad, despite government warnings. Authorities said they would prevent the protesters from reaching the capital if they attempted to proceed.
The JAAC, which campaigns for economic reforms and changes to the region’s governance, was under Pakistan’s anti-terrorism laws in June. Since then, more than 22 people have been killed in protest-related violence, according to official figures.
The group has rejected the terrorism designation, describing it as an attempt to suppress a peaceful movement seeking legitimate economic and political rights.
Protests have continued across the region for more than a month, with demonstrators staging sit-ins and road blockades. Authorities have sealed the JAAC’s main office and arrested hundreds of its supporters. Shops remained closed and public transport was suspended across Poonch on Wednesday.
Among the JAAC’s key demands is the abolition of 12 seats in the local legislature reserved for people who migrated from what is now India-administered Kashmir. The group alleges that the seats are used by major Pakistani political parties to tip the composition of the local parliament in their favour with those who mostly reside outside the region. The next regional elections are set for late July.