Shehbaz Sharif’s PML-N now calls PoK protesters patriotic

The Story in Brief

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's party has softened its stance on protesters in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), calling them 'patriotic' after months of deadly crackdowns. Adviser Rana Sanaullah said 99 per cent of the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) members are patriotic, and the incoming PML-N government will hold talks with them. Earlier, authorities alleged Tehrik-e-Taliban members were among the protesters to justify the crackdown. The JAAC, banned in June, demands abolition of 12 refugee seats that it says let the establishment rig elections.

India Today reports that at least 80 people have been killed since protests began in June, while the JAAC claims 400 deaths, figures Pakistan calls exaggerated. The protests centre on economic neglect and electoral irregularities. The PML-N has won 25 of 45 elected seats in the ongoing polls, amid allegations of rigging and violence. The UN has expressed concern over the security situation. India maintains that Pakistan is in illegal occupation of parts of Jammu and Kashmir.