In response to weeks of escalating protests in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party is reportedly adopting a more conciliatory stance towards demonstrators. This change comes after widespread unrest driven by various grievances among the local population, as highlighted in a recent report by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
Political Context
Rana Sanaullah, PM’s adviser, addressing a rally on Saturday, said that 99 per cent of the PoK protesters are “patriotic brothers. The tensions escalated as the elections in the region began on July 27.
This comes ahead of the third phase of “elections” in PoK. Promising dialogue, the Prime Minister’s adviser also said the political party’s representatives would meet members of the banned JAAC soon. Their first task will be to resolve this issue,” Sanaullah said. Pakistan’s ex-minister: Pakistan’s former foreign minister, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, also expressed “concern” over the unrest in PoK.
“When the PML(N) government will be formed with two-third majority, it will sit with [Joint Awami] Action Committee representatives. The Pakistan government has denied civilian deaths, dismissing these claims as “overly exaggerated.
Earlier in June, the regional government officially banned the JAAC.
