Pak protestors call off march in PoK

ISLAMABAD: Protesters seeking subsidised wheat flour and reduction in electricity tariffs called off their demonstration in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) on Tuesday after days of clashes with police and Rangers, a paramilitary force, in which four people were killed and over 100 injured.
The Awami Action Committee (AAC), an alliance of civil rights groups in the region, said the govt has accepted all its demands and called on protesters to return to their homes and businesses.On Monday, Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif had approved $82.6-million to help meet most of their demands, which included subsidies on flour and electricity prices.
Shaukat Nawaz Mir, the alliance’s head, however, demanded financial compensation for the families of three protesters and a police official who were killed in the violence that lasted for four days. The protesters were killed on Monday evening after the Rangers, en route to Muzaffarabad, opened fire on them when they were attacked, a local govt official said.
The recent protests coincided with the visit of an International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission to negotiate a new long-term loan with Pakistan. The global lender has already warned that social unrest triggered by high cost of living could weigh on policy implementation, adding that fiscal slippages could present a challenge for the govt.