Three people were killed in clashes between militia groups and demonstrators in Pakistan’s Kashmir region on Monday, the fourth day of demonstrations over rising costs, officials said.
Thousands of people have rallied since Friday, and more than 10,000 gathered on Monday, despite the government offering financial support to the region.
The government sent paramilitary forces known as Rangers to the area on Monday, and the internet was largely cut off.
Nadeem Janjua, a senior government official and deputy commissioner in the region’s capital Muzaffarabad, said: “Three protesters were killed, all were shot, and eight others are currently reported to be injured.” .
Earlier, a doctor at the city’s coalition hospital told AFP on condition of anonymity that two people had died from gunshot wounds.
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“Many rangers were also injured, but data on that has not yet been compiled,” the doctor added.
Another doctor at the same hospital said, “One of the deceased was a third-year junior high school student around 16 or 17 years old, and the other was in his 30s.”
Kashmir’s chief minister said on Monday that one police officer had been killed and more than 100 others injured in the violence over the weekend, the government said.
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Chaudhry Anwar-ul-Haq said that a financial package of subsidies for electricity and flour has been prepared.
Negotiations are ongoing, said Sardar Saquib Shaheen, a member of the Awami Action Committee union behind the protests.
“Some of the demands have been met, some have not,” he said at a press conference in Islamabad.
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Asim Tariq, 27, a student from Godzilla Bypass, where the clashes occurred, said tear gas shells had entered his home.
“My mother’s health was affected and I couldn’t take her to the hospital because of what was happening in the city. I was scared that I might lose her.”
“They shouldn’t have fired at the protesters,” said Muhammad Qasim, a 37-year-old shopkeeper. “We were just demanding our rights and in return they showered us with bullets.” he added.
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The Himalayan region is divided between India and Pakistan, with both countries claiming full ownership.
The neighboring countries have fought two of their three wars over territory separated by a de facto border known as the Line of Control.
Kashmir, administered by Pakistan, is a semi-autonomous region with its own regional government.
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The country has recently been hit by a major financial crisis that has seen imports blocked, inflation soaring and the rupee plummeting against the dollar.
However, thanks to the International Monetary Fund agreement, inflation has steadily declined and currency rates have stabilized.
A team of global financiers is scheduled to visit Pakistan later this month to discuss the latest deal.
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