Amid PoK pressure, Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif softens stance on protesters, calls them ‘patriots’

Over the past two months, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) has witnessed violent protests over various grievances. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s PML-N party, initially claiming that banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) members were among the protesters to justify a tough stance, now appears to be adopting a softer approach. The political shift was reported by PTI.

Addressing a rally, Rana Sanaullah, the Prime Minister’s adviser, stated that 99 per cent of the PoK protesters are patriotic brothers. He also said that representatives of the banned Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) would soon meet PML(N) party members. Sanaullah promised that if the PML(N) forms a government with a two-third majority, it will sit with JAAC representatives and resolve the issue first.

The PML(N) secured 25 out of 45 assembly seats in the first two phases of the elections, crossing the majority mark amid allegations of massive rigging. Four seats remain to be contested in the third phase on Monday. Voting in seven constituencies has been indefinitely postponed. The PoK region has been under protest for over two months, led by the JAAC.

The protests triggered a security forces crackdown. Earlier in June, the regional government officially banned the JAAC. Key demands include the abolition of 12 contentious refugee seats in PoK. Allegations of civilian deaths have emerged, with JAAC claiming 400 protesters have been killed since June and over 40 people, including women and children, killed since polling began.

The Pakistan government denies civilian deaths, calling the claims exaggerated. The situation has drawn significant domestic and international scrutiny, with rights organizations, Pakistan’s former foreign minister, and the United Nations expressing concerns over the security situation in PoK.