ISLAMABAD: A high-level Pakistani government delegation on Thursday held the first round of talks with a civil rights alliance in Azad Kashmir, officials said, after days of unrest that has claimed lives of at least nine people.

The development comes amid tense situation in the disputed northern region following calls for a ‘lockdown’ by the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC) since Sept. 29, seeking removal of perks for government officials, ending 12 seats in the regional assembly reserved for Kashmiri migrants who came from the Indian-side of the territory, and royalty for hydel power projects.

The protests have turned violent over the course of the last four days as protesters and police came face to face and clashed at various locations, with authorities confirming killing of six people and three policemen. JKJAAC leaders this week accused the government of reneging on promises and said at least 12 of their supporters have been killed, claims denied by the regional government.

On Thursday, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed concern over the situation and tasked a negotiations committee with reaching out to the protesters and resolving the issue. The committee includes Senator Rana Sanaullah, federal ministers Sardar Yousaf and Ahsan Iqbal, former AJK president Masood Khan and Qamar Zaman Kaira.

“I will particularly request the Joint Action Committee leadership and the people of Azad Jammu and Kashmir that we should keep the regional and global situation in view amid this crisis,” Iqbal told state TV, following the first round of talks that failed to break the impasse.

“Our enemy country will not waste a single second in capitalizing on a crisis situation in our country. And we should avoid lighting a fire through which our enemy can benefit and tarnish the image of Pakistan, cause unrest in Pakistan or the loss of life and property of the people.”

Iqbal’s statement was a reference to India. Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan since their independence from British rule in 1947. Both claim the territory in its entirety, but rule in part. 
Azad Kashmir is the part administered by Pakistan.

“We, the members of the [JKJAAC] core committee, will hold consultations and then we will make a decision,” Shaukat Nawaz Mir, a senior JKJAAC member, told reporters after the first round of talks in Muzaffarabad, which included representatives of the Pakistani and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) regional governments.

The development a day after AJK PM Chaudhry Anwar ul Haq appealed for an end to protests organized by JKJAAC, saying the government is ready to talk to the protesters.

“For resolving any conflict, the best and most well-known way in the world, which has been used continuously and will continue to be used, is through dialogue,” he said at a presser.

“The government is ready to talk to you [JKJAAC], your legitimate demands will be resolved as soon as possible. The path of violence will only go toward the loss of human lives.”

The call for dialogue came as shutter-down and wheel-jam strikes disrupted public life in the territory, with protesters and police clashing in various areas.

In May 2024, a similar wave of protests paralyzed the region. After six days of strikes and violent clashes that left at least four dead, PM Sharif approved a grant of Rs 23 billion ($86 million) for subsidies on flour and electricity, and a judicial commission to review elite privileges.

Protest leaders suspended their campaign at that time but warned that failure to implement the package would fuel fresh unrest.