Massive protests erupt in PoK over unfair Pakistan taxes
- In Reports
- 10:25 PM, May 10, 2024
- Myind Staff
Massive protests erupted in Dadyal tehsil of Mirpur district, Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) on Friday, triggered by unfair taxes and the arrest of numerous activists.
A planned protest scheduled for Saturday regarding Pakistan-imposed taxes and increasing prices escalated prematurely due to the deployment of extra forces and the arrest of 70 activists. This incited public anger, prompting them to take to the streets on Friday itself. According to reports, protestors hurled stones at security personnel and engaged in clashes with them.
The administration implemented Section 144 in the region, according to ANI.
The Pakistani administration attempted to crush the planned protests for May 11 by deploying additional troops from the Pakistan Rangers and Frontier Corps, along with the arrest of activists.
Seventy activists have been detained by police to prevent a ‘long march’ announced by the Jammu and Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee, reported The Dawn.
According to the Dawn report, the police also used teargas shells to scatter the protesting crowd, some of which also landed in a nearby school and injured several girls.
The Jammu and Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee had scheduled a general strike and transport strike for Friday to urge the Pakistani government to comply with an agreement between the two parties in February of this year. The government in Islamabad failed to fulfill the promises of the agreement, resulting in the protests.
Currently, personnel from the Front Corps, Rangers, and Quick Response Force (QRF) of Punjab Province are on the streets of the area, reported news agency ANI.
In the early hours of Thursday, police in Muzaffarabad, the administrative centre of PoK, conducted raids on the residence of a prominent trader leader, Shaukat Nawaz Mir, as well as the homes of several other members of the action committee.
The police detained eight committee members, including two student leaders, reported DAWN.
Political activist Amjad Ayub Mirza, speaking to ANI, condemned the incident, emphasising that violence against peaceful protesters in PoK is intolerable.
"After the police shelled in Dadyal Mirpur, there has been a widespread reaction with people retaliating by physically confronting police, Srinagar-based journalist Sajid Yousuf Shah posted on X.
Similar protests over high electricity charges began in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) in August 2023 and rapidly spread throughout the Islamic Republic.
While some cities and towns saw the protests taking a violent turn, a call for civil disobedience went viral on social media.
Pakistanis have been grappling with severe inflation, exacerbated by the stringent conditions imposed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) when approving a $3-billion financial assistance package. The increase in electricity charges added to the problems, and people in Pakistan have been forced to take to the streets.
Image source: X
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