A major public movement in Pakistan-administered Kashmir (PoK) has concluded following an agreement between the PoK government and the Awami Action Committee (AAC). The government accepted 21 of the AAC’s demands, prompting the AAC to call off all protests. Commemorative events are planned for the next three days to remember those who died during the demonstrations.
The agreement stipulates that families of those killed during the protests will receive compensation equal to that of government employees, and a job will be offered to one family member within 20 days. The injured will each receive 1 million rupees in financial aid. Those responsible for the violence and deaths will face prosecution under anti-terrorism laws, and a judicial inquiry will be launched.
The government has also outlined reforms in education, including the establishment of two new boards in PoK: the Intermediate Board and the Higher Secondary Education Board, with existing boards to be connected to Pakistan’s central education board within 30 days. Healthcare will be improved with the installation of CT scan and MRI machines in all districts, and a health card scheme will receive funding within 15 days.
To improve the electricity infrastructure, Pakistan will provide 100 million rupees. Land will be allocated to displaced families in Mirpur within a month. Bridges will be built in Gulpur and Rahman (Kotli), and water supply and transmission lines will be installed in Dadial.
Additional measures include limiting the number of ministers and advisors to a maximum of 20, an upcoming announcement on an airport in Mirpur, aligning property transfer tax with Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa rates, implementing a 2019 High Court decision on hydroelectric projects, releasing all protesters arrested in Rawalpindi and Islamabad on October 2nd and 3rd, and reviewing the 1300cc vehicle transport policy.
