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ISLAMABAD: Azad Kashmir’s prime minister on Wednesday appealed for an end to days of violent protests in the disputed northern region, urging protest leaders to return to negotiations instead of pressing on with “the path of violence.”

The call to resume dialogue followed shutter-down strikes, wheel-jam protests and clashes across Azad Kashmir, organized by the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC). The civil rights alliance is demanding an end to special allowances for government officials and the supply of electricity and wheat at discounted rates, similar to subsidies in other parts of Pakistan.

Protest leaders accuse the government of reneging on promises and say at least 12 people have been killed, while authorities report police casualties and deny failing to meet demands.

Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan, but both claim it in its entirety. Azad Kashmir is the part administered by Pakistan.

“For resolving any conflict, the best and most well-known way in the world, which has been used continuously and will continue to be used, is through dialogue,” Azad Kashmir Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwar ul Haq said during a press conference. 

“The government is ready to talk to you [JKJAAC], your legitimate demands will be resolved as soon as possible. The path of violence will only go toward the loss of human lives.”

He added that three police officers had been killed in the recent violence and more than 100 were injured, of which 8 were in critical condition. 

The JKJAAC rejected the government’s claims and in a written statement, spokesman Syed Hafeez Hamdani said 12 of its supporters had been killed in the protests and more than 200 injured.

“All have suffered gunshot wounds,” it said. “The claim that our demands have been accepted is contrary to the facts… If our demands had been accepted, we would have had no reason to keep protesting.”

In May 2024, a similar wave of protests paralyzed the region. After six days of strikes and violent clashes that left at least four dead, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif approved a grant of Rs 23 billion ($86 million) for subsidies on flour and electricity, and a judicial commission to review elite privileges.

Protest leaders suspended their campaign at that time but warned that failure to implement the package would fuel fresh unrest.

KARACHI: Pakistani authorities issued weather warnings on Wednesday as a new storm system forming over the northeast Arabian Sea threatened to bring rain and strong winds to the southern Sindh province this week, while a separate westerly weather front is forecast to lash Punjab with heavy downpours early next week.

A well-marked low-pressure area over India’s Saurashtra coast has moved westward into the Arabian Sea, about 310 kilometers (192 miles) southeast of Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city and the provincial capital of Sindh, and is expected to intensify into a tropical depression within 12 hours, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said. 

Under its influence, light to moderate rainfall is likely on Tuesday in Karachi and 11 southern Sindh districts including Tharparkar, Umerkot, Badin and Mirpurkhas, accompanied by squally winds of up to 55 kilometers per hour.

“Fishermen of Sindh are advised not to venture into deep sea till Oct. 3,” the PMD said in its latest tropical cyclone watch. “The cyclone warning center in Karachi is monitoring the system and will issue updates accordingly.”

Sea conditions off Sindh are forecast to remain rough to very rough through Thursday, and the agency has cautioned that windstorms and lightning could damage weak structures such as mud-built homes, electric poles, billboards, vehicles and solar panels.

The latest warnings come amid one of Pakistan’s most punishing monsoon seasons in recent years. 

Since the rains began on June 26, at least 1,006 people have died across the country, with more than 4.7 million affected in Punjab province alone. Flooding has inundated over 4,700 villages and forced the evacuation of more than 2.5 million people, while crops including cotton, rice and sugarcane have been devastated, dealing a blow to the agriculture sector that employs nearly 40 percent of the workforce.

Punjab, Pakistan’s most populous province and agricultural heartland, now faces the prospect of renewed flooding. 

A strong westerly weather system is forecast to sweep across the upper catchments of all major rivers and the north and northeast of the province from October 5 to 7, bringing heavy to very heavy rainfall and thunderstorms, the Punjab Disaster Management Authority said. 

Authorities have been placed on high alert amid fears that additional rainfall could swell rivers and trigger flash floods in vulnerable districts.

Water flows at major barrages on the Indus River — including Guddu, Sukkur and Kotri — remain at normal levels for now, with inflows recorded on Tuesday at 137,332 cubic feet per second (cusecs), 105,430 cusecs and 265,141 cusecs respectively, the PDMA advisory added. 

Pakistan’s extensive barrage system regulates water flow and irrigation across the Indus basin, but heavy rains can rapidly increase volumes and overwhelm embankments.

Karachi is expected to remain partly cloudy and humid this week, with daytime temperatures of 33–36 degrees Celsius (91–97 Fahrenheit) and isolated drizzle or light rain through Friday, according to the PDMA Sindh. 

Hot and dry weather is likely to prevail elsewhere in Sindh outside the rain-affected districts.

Provincial disaster authorities in Sindh and Punjab have directed deputy commissioners and local disaster management committees to “remain alert round the clock” and “take all necessary mitigation measures,” including round-the-clock monitoring and daily situation reports as the new weather systems approach.