At least 11 people were killed and more than 70 injured on Sunday in Rawalakot, the capital of Poonch district in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, during clashes between police and protesters ahead of a major demonstration called by a banned civil society group.

The local government proscribed the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) under the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2014, accusing the group of terrorism and threatening public order. The ban, along with longstanding regional grievances, sparked the protests.

Sardar Waheed Khan, commissioner of Pakistani Poonch, reported that four police officers and a passerby were shot dead by “miscreants,” while six protesters were killed. Police Chief Liaqat Malik said 23 security personnel and 50 protesters were injured.

The protests target 12 reserved seats in the region’s legislature for refugees from Indian-administered Kashmir living elsewhere in Pakistan. The JAAC demands their abolition, arguing that only residents of Pakistan-administered Kashmir should hold legislative seats.

Experts view the crisis as part of a deeper debate over governance and representation. The JAAC has issued a 38-point charter of demands, including economic subsidies and anti-corruption measures. Talks between the government and JAAC in late May failed to reach a resolution.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari plan to meet to discuss the tensions. Meanwhile, internet access remains severely restricted for a third consecutive day, according to NetBlocks.

Source: www.aljazeera.com