By Eniola Amadu
At least eight people have been killed during four days of violent protests in Pakistani-administered Kashmir, Pakistani officials confirmed on Thursday.
The unrest has prompted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to set up a committee of senior politicians to help calm the situation and resolve grievances.
The protests erupted on Monday when thousands of demonstrators from nearby towns converged on Muzaffarabad, the regional capital.
According to security officials in Islamabad, three policemen and five civilians have died so far, with clashes between demonstrators and police continuing throughout the week.
Authorities have cut off phone services and internet access across the region, making it difficult to verify the full scale of the unrest.
Limited footage from Muzaffarabad showed riot police firing tear gas on a bridge on Wednesday. Businesses, schools and public transport have been shut in large parts of the territory since the protests began.
In a statement, Prime Minister Sharif urged demonstrators to engage in dialogue. “The government is always ready to resolve the problems of our Kashmiri brothers,” he said.
The committee, which includes Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, is expected to hold talks with protest leaders. Iqbal expressed hope that negotiations would “resolve all these issues.”
Protest organisers say the demonstrations were triggered by anger over what they view as excessive privileges granted to politicians, bureaucrats and senior officials, while basic public services remain underfunded.
Shaukat Nawaz Mir, who heads an alliance of civil rights groups, accused authorities of ignoring urgent needs such as medicines in hospitals while funding what he described as a “luxurious lifestyle” for elites.
Another key grievance relates to the allocation of reserved seats in the local Kashmiri legislature for representatives from other parts of Pakistan.
Activists argue that this arrangement has allowed successive federal governments to install or remove regional administrations at will, undermining local representation.
Last year, four people were killed in similar protests. In response, the Sharif government approved a grant of 24 billion rupees (£67m; USD 86m) to subsidise flour and electricity prices, which helped ease tensions at the time.
The Kashmir region has been disputed between Pakistan and India since partition in 1947. Both countries administer parts of the territory but claim it in full.
