From 'enemies' to 'patriotic brothers': Pakistan changes stance on PoK protesters ahead of polls

Pakistan PML-N has softened its stance on PoK protesters, calling them "patriotic brothers", as the party prepares to form a government in the region. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s led PML-N appears to be softening its position towards protesters in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), with a senior government adviser now describing the vast majority of demonstrators as “patriotic” and saying the party will soon engage with them.Sharif’s adviser Rana Sanaullah on Saturday said 99 per cent of those associated with the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), the group leading months of protests in the region, were “our patriotic brothers”.“When the PML(N) government will be formed with two-third majority, it will sit with [Joint Awami] Action Committee representatives. Their first task will be to resolve this issue,” Sanaullah said at a rally ahead of the third and final phase of elections in PoK.The remarks mark a notable shift from the government's earlier rhetoric towards the protesters.Just days earlier, Pakistan defence minister Khawaja Asif had likened the protesters to India and described them as “enemies of Pakistan”, ruling out talks with them. Asif had said there would ...