Nur Sultan, January 7: Kazakhstan is witnessing a massive protest over soaring fuel prices across the country. In the latest development, Kazakhstan's Interior Ministry claimed 26 "armed criminals" had been killed in the unrest, while 18 security personnel have also lost their lives. Thousand protestors were arrested Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev launched a counter-terrorist operation to curb protests. On Thursday, he vowed a tough response as the situation became "extremely tense" in the country. China Expresses Hopes for Early Restoration of Public Order in Kazakhstan.

More than 3,000 people have been arrested by the security forces. On Friday, Russian-led forces arrived in the country at the request of Tokayev. A massive operation has been launched by the President to repulse protests in Almaty and other cities of the country. Tokayev assured strict measures to protect the diplomatic missions, "as well as subjects of foreign investment and business of foreign companies. India 'closely Monitoring' Developments in Kazakhstan: MEA.

Why People Of Kazakhstan Protesting?

People took to the streets on Sunday against the hike in fuel prices. The prices of fuel became doubled as the government lifted price caps for LPG. The protests first took place in the western town of Zhanaoze. The maximum population of Kazakhistan uses LPG as car fuel. Soon the protests spread to other parts of the country. Protesters vented out their anger at 81-year-old Nursultan Nazarbayev, who ruled the country for decades till 2019. He reportedly still enjoys maximum power in the government.

A two-week state of emergency was declared in the western Mangistau region and the city of Almaty on Wednesday. Notably, the violent protests, which were initially triggered by a fuel price hike spread all over the country. These protests also led to the sacking of the ruling government. Several videos of thousands of protestors creating ruckus on the streets of Almaty went viral on Social media.

Reacting to the situation, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who had recently taken over the the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) presidency, said that the CSTO's peacekeeping forces would be dispatched to Kazakhstan "for a limited period of time" with the aim of stabilising and normalising the situation in this country. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday called on parties in Kazakhstan to refrain from violence and promote dialogue so as to address the volatile situation

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 07, 2022 02:45 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).