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CWA # 1309, 14 May 2024
Pakistan Reader
Protests in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir: What and Why?

  Rohini Reenum

In PoK, the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee had called for a “long march” to Muzaffarabad on 11 May, demanding electricity tariffs that reflect cost of hydropower generation in the region, reduced wheat flour prices and an end to privileges enjoyed by the elite. The protests turned violent on 10 and 11 May amid a shutter-down and wheel-jam strike when the protestors clashed with the police. The violence continued when the police tried to stop the rally and used aerial firing and teargas shelling prompting immediate government engagement with the protestors and acquiescence to their demands.
 
What has happened?
On 13 May, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif approved the immediate disbursement of PKR 23 billion to Pakistan Occupied Kashmir in order to meet the demands of the protestors. This development came in the wake of the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee led movement resuming their march towards the capital Muzaffarabad on 12 May after talks between the Pakistan Occupied Kashmir government and the former remained inconclusive. The region saw massive protests last week which turned violent when protestors clashed with the police on 11 May when the latter were deployed to stop a rally for Muzaffarabad via Kotli and Poonch districts organized by the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC). The violent clashes led to the death of at least one police official and left more than 90 others injured forcing the federal government to take cognizance of the situation and prompting swift action.
 
A brief background
The Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee, with traders at its forefront in most parts of the state, has been leading a “rights movement” in the region protesting against “unjust” taxes levied on electricity bills. This had led the committee to observe a shutter-down strike for the same reason in August 2023.The movement demands that the electricity tariff in the region reflect the cost of hydel power generation in PoK. After months of protests, an official reconciliation committee of cabinet members had made some written commitments on the matter in December 2023. It was due to the “non-fulfillment of the commitments” that the JAAC had announced last month, a “long march” to Muzaffarabad on 11 May. One day before the march was to begin, the police started a massive crackdown in an attempt to prevent the march. In the subsequent raids, 70 activists were rounded up and detained. The crackdown prompted the elected leader of the traders, Shaukat Nawaz Mir, to prepone the “long march” to 10 May. A wheel-jam and shutter-down strike across the territory was announced on 11 May which saw violent clashes between the police and the protestors.

Earlier in January, the Gilgit-Baltistan region of PoK had seen protests, sit-ins and demonstrations against an increase in the subsidized wheat prices.

What are the protestors demanding?
The recent protests were first and foremost against the “non-implementation of the agreement of December 19, 2023 by the official reconciliatory committee within the stipulated period.” Second, the protestors are demanding a reduction in electricity tariff. Earlier in February, the JAAC had called for another strike protesting unjustified load shedding and a failure to determine the production cost of electricity from the Mangla Dam. Third, the protestors are also demanding that the wheat flour prices be subsidized and lowered. The fourth demand is to put “an end to the privileges of the elite class.
 
What has been the government response?
First, the government’s swift response and acquiescence to the demands. When violence erupted between the police and the protestors, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stated that there would be “absolutely no tolerance for taking the law in one’s own hands” and urged for the peaceful resolution of dispute. President Asif Ali Zardari echoed the prime minister’s sentiments and urged parties to “exercise restraint” and solve the issues through “dialogue and mutual consultation.” Once the talks between the JAAC and the PoK government failed, the prime minister immediately called upon a high-level meeting and announced the aforementioned PKR 23 billion disbursement for subsidies in order to meet at least two demands of the protestors- subsidized wheat prices and reduction of electricity tariff. Immediately after the prime minister’s announcement, the PoK government also announced the reduced rate of wheat- PKR 2,000 per 40 kilogram as against the existing rate of PKR 3,100 per 40kg- and electricity.

Second, the government’s differentiated/calibrated response to different protests. Another region (Punjab province and subsequently other regions) has seen massive protests against the government’s wheat procurement policy in recent weeks. The government response has not been as positive, immediate and forthcoming. The answer lies perhaps in the sensitive nature and strategic location of the Pakistan Occupied Kashmir region where Pakistan wants to prevent any signs of visible government disaffection lest it prompt a rights discourse internationally and most notably in its neighboring country, India. Further, it is imperative for the state that a disputed border area with heavy military presence remain peaceful.

The recent protests highlight a bigger dilemma for the government, an economic quandary of sorts:  On one hand, the IMF bailout package requires a rationalization of subsidies which drives up prices of goods and services imposing a higher cost of living and putting a disproportionate amount of burden on the poor. On the other side, the cash-strapped government cannot risk another situation like the sovereign debt default crisis and in order to secure another IMF loan is keen on economic reforms. This dilemma is further compounded by a slew of protests against inflation and economic policy that have rocked the nation in recent time. A nascent government cannot afford everyday protests and widespread disaffection. The IMF has also called for avoiding the trickle-down of the adverse impacts of the economic reforms on the poor. However, it is apparent that unless the government doles out extra cash, tricky as that route maybe, protests like these will only increase in number and intensity as reforms take off. It may even be that this unbudgeted spending is only a band-aid for a deep festering wound that needs a long-term solution.

References
Shahbaz Rana, “Pakistan-IMF shy away from calling talks ‘programme negotiations’,” The Express Tribune, 14 May 2024
“Shutdown ends with AJK Govt accepting demands of protestors,” Associated Press of Pakistan, 13 May 2024
Abdullah Momand, “PM Shehbaz approves immediate provision of Rs23bn to AJK,” Dawn, 13 May 2024
“March heads toward Muzaffarabad as strike against inflation enters fourth day,” The News International, 13 May 2024
Tariq Naqash & Syed Irfan Raza, “AJK march resumes amid stalemate,” Dawn, 13
May 2024
Tariq Naqash, “Situation in AJK calms down after 2 days of violent clashes,” Dawn, 12 May 2024
Tariq Naqash, “1 police officer dead, over 90 injured in AJK clashes,” Dawn, 12 May 2024
Tariq Naqash, “Muzaffarabad grinds to halt as police, protesters clash,” Dawn, 11 May 2024
Tariq Naqash, “Police crackdown in AJK prompts ‘shutter-down strike’ call,” Dawn, 10 May 2024
Tariq Naqash, “Two ex-PMs of AJK urge civil society to review strike call for Feb 5,” Dawn, 14 January 2024
Sajjad Ahmad, “The crisis in Gilgit-Baltistan,” Dawn, 20 January 2024

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