Protesters in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir end rallies that left four people dead after authorities withdrew price hikes

MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan (AP) — Protesters in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir have canceled rallies over price hikes that left four people dead after authorities agreed to cut electricity and wheat prices.

The local civil rights coalition Awami Action Committee said it had canceled a planned march in the city of Muzaffarabad, the capital of the Pakistan-controlled part of the disputed Himalayan region, after the government accepted all its demands.

The price hike protests erupted last Friday and quickly turned violent. Four people, including a police officer, were killed in clashes between protesters and security forces who fired tear gas and opened fire. According to authorities, more than 100 police officers were injured.

Late Monday, local government chief Chaudhry Anwarul Haq said he had cut prices for wheat and electricity.

The economic crisis in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir reflects broader problems in the country. Pakistan’s monthly inflation rate reached 40% last year and remains at 17%.

Although there have been demonstrations against price hikes in Pakistan and Pakistan-controlled Kashmir in the past, the Kashmir rallies were the first time that people took to the streets in such large numbers in the area.

Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan, but both claim the entire territory. The two nuclear-armed neighbors have fought two of their three wars since 1947 over their competing claims to the region. In the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir, militants have been fighting against Indian rule since 1989. In 2003, the two nations agreed to a ceasefire that was largely held despite regular skirmishes.