JAAC | Pakistan

• No untoward incident reported in Poonch, Sudhnoti • Thousands gather at Rawalakot’s Eidgah Ground ahead of march • JAAC says it wrote to army chief after concerns failed to reach him through official channels • AJK home secretary says coordinated campaigns carried out on social media to incite people MUZAFFARABAD: The proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) on Wednesday deferred for one week its planned long march on Muzaffarabad after back-channel contacts involving influential intermediaries raised hopes of a negotiated settlement to the ongoing standoff. Contrary to widespread fears of fresh violence, no untoward incident was reported from the troubled districts of Poonch and Sudhnoti during the day, while life remained normal across the rest of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). Official and political sources in Rawalakot told Dawn that several thousand people, including women and children, had gathered at Eidgah Ground in anticipation of the march, while a smaller crowd assembled at the Mutyalmera bu...

JAAC using 'social media to incite people'

The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government on Tuesday said that an operation was under way in the region to clear obstacles created by the banned Jammu and Kashmir Awami Action Committee (JAAC) at entry and exit points, warning that the government would treat “blackmailers” with an “iron hand”. “The clearance operation will continue until all routes are opened,” AJK Home Secretary Chaudhry Guftar Hussain said during a press conference. Hussain also reaffirmed the government’s commitment to protecting human lives and ensuring the continuation of economic and business activities in the region. “The state is committed to protecting human lives and property against all threats and to ensuring the continuation of economic, educational and business activities, and restoring normalcy across the region,” the home secretary said at the press conference. “The state will not accept any threat or blackmail, and all blackmailers will be treated with an iron hand,” he warned. The home secretary also shared details of a vi...

Officials warn students may be used as human shields during JAAC protests

AJK suspends 20 education employees over JAAC protest

Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) on Sunday decided to establish a “grand” Kashmir peace jirga to facilitate dialogue between the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government and the banned Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) in an effort to restore stability and normalcy in the region. The decision was taken at a meeting of the party’s central Majlis-i-Shura chaired by JI Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman at Mansoorah, Lahore. According to a press release, the jirga will engage both the government and the JAAC, with the restoration of peace and the resolution of issues in AJK identified as its top priorities. To oversee the initiative, Rehman constituted a committee headed by JI Deputy Emir Liaqat Baloch. The committee included JI AJK Emir Dr Muhammad Mushtaq Khan and the party’s former regional chiefs Abdul Rashid Turabi and Dr Khalid Mahmood. The JI chief also indicated that the committee would be expanded to include former civil bureaucrats, retired judges, ex-military officials and members of civil society from AJK. The Shura exp...

MUZAFFARABAD: Azad Jammu and Kashmir Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore on Friday welcomed the latest assertions by a senior leader of the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) about the ‘misuse’ of the platform by some individuals. Sharing a video clip of the address by senior JAAC leader Umar Nazir Kashmari at the Eidgah sit-in on the outskirts of Rawalakot, the AJK PM called it a ‘positive’ development. “Positive. Now let’s talk and resolve issues on the table instead of [the] streets,” PM Rathore wrote. In his speech on Thursday night, Mr Kashmiri distanced the alliance from controversial speeches and slogans delivered from its platform, insisting that only remarks by its core leadership should be regarded as the organisation’s official position. He had told the protesters that JAAC’s struggle was confined to the demands laid down in its charter and had no connection with personal, ideological or organisational agendas advanced by individuals. “Our Charter of Demands, our agreement and our standard operat...

• Sets July 14 as deadline for ‘acceptance’ of its demands • Two die near Rawalakot as forces clear path for convoy carrying food items MUZAFFARABAD: The proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) announced on Thursday that it would resume its long march on Muzaffarabad on July 15, if its demands remained unmet. Addressing participants at the Eidgah sit-in, JAAC core member Umar Nazir Kashmiri said the alliance would stage a long march on Muzaffarabad on July 15 if its charter of demands was not implemented by July 14. He said the long march, which had been halted in Rawalakot on June 10, would resume under the already announced standard operating procedures. “Once again, the JAAC seeks implementation of its charter of demands by July 14. If there is no progress by the evening of July 14, we will make a new announcement on July 15. That day, there will neither be this charter of demands nor any demand for the implementation of any agreement. God willing, we will leave this place with a new announcement,” ...

Azad Jammu and Kashmir Information Department Secretary Muhammad Rashid Hanif claimed on Monday that state institutions had evidence of Indian funding behind the banned Joint Awami Action Committee’s (JAAC) “agenda” in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Addressing a press conference in Muzaffarabad, the information secretary said that state institutions had credible information about foreign funding behind ongoing activities in AJK. “The institutions have evidence of the use of Indian funding to mobilise overseas Kashmiris, such as UK-based Amjad Ayub Mirza, to advance an anti-Pakistan agenda,” Hanif said. He urged the people of AJK to dismiss the “baseless disinformation campaign on social media” and participate in the “due political process to restore peace and order in the region”. The information secretary elaborated that for the past month, members of the proscribed organisation had carried out multiple “illegal and violent” activities under the guise of human rights advocacy. “This apparent human rights movement h...

MUZAFFARABAD: Despite the weekend, a shutter-down strike was observed across Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Sunday, alongside demonstrations called by the proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), with clashes between protesters and law enforcement personnel reported from several areas, particularly in Mirpur district. Sources and residents said that around a dozen people, including some policemen, had been injured in clashes in Dadyal, the lakeside town of Mirpur district. There were also reports of some casualties, but these could not be independently verified. Meanwhile, the internet suspension in AJK entered its 30th day on Sunday. In Dadyal, clashes first erupted in Amb village. Witnesses said at least three people were injured. Another clash broke out later in the evening, after which another critically injured protester was brought to the Divisional Headquarters Hospital in Mirpur. Officials at the Mirpur Divisional Headquarters Hospital told Dawn they had received four injured persons, two of w...

MUZAFFARABAD: Government officials have ruled out the possibility of long marches as sit-in participants of the proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) are expected to hold demonstrations at their respective protest sites today. The main sit-in continued at the Eidgah ground, while smaller gatherings, with attendance ranging between 100 and 500 people, were also being held at Mutyalmera, Singola, Paniola and Shujaabad. According to official sources, participants at the main sit-in on the outskirts of Rawalakot were expected to organise a short rally near the protest site after assembling there at 2pm on Sunday. “There is no information suggesting they intend to move beyond their respective protest sites,” an official said, attributing the rumours of long marches to the absence of communication facilities in the region. An official described the sit-ins on the outskirts of the town as gatherings where participants mostly assembled in the evening “to enjoy the cool weather and free meals”. He said there ...

MUZAFFARABAD: Traders and transporters in Muzaffarabad division announced on Saturday that markets and public transport would resume normal operations from Sunday after the administration assured them of security and uninterrupted fuel supplies, signalling the first major break in the shutdown observed during the ongoing agitation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). At a joint press conference at Central Press Club, representatives of traders’ bodies and the transporters’ union also distanced themselves from the recently proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC). They alleged that the movement, which they had initially backed over public issues such as subsidised electricity and flour, had deviated from its original objectives after June 9 and was now pursuing a political and constitutional agenda beyond the mandate of traders and transporters. The regional administration and the JAAC have been at odds over the past month over various issues, most notably the committee’s demand to abolish the 12 seats in th...

AJK govt rules out blanket amnesty for JAAC

MUZAFFARABAD: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government on Tuesday ruled out any blanket amnesty for leaders of the proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), holding them responsible for recent deaths and violence and vowing to pursue legal action against them. The regional administration and the JAAC remain at odds over various issues, most notably the committee’s demand to abolish the 12 seats in the region’s Legislative Assembly that are reserved for refugees from Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir who settled in mainland Pakistan after 1947. Addressing a joint press conference alongside Inspector General of Police (IGP) Liaqat Ali Malik, Chief Secretary Khushal Khan said the JAAC leadership had become divided over the ongoing process of negotiations and mediation. “There will be no blanket amnesty,” he said, adding that the leadership of the proscribed organisation would have to face the consequences of the deaths and violence linked to its movement. On Tuesday, a strike called by the JAAC continue...

MUZAFFARABAD: Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) has placed 147 activists and supporters of the proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) on the Fourth Schedule of the Anti-Terrorism Act, even as a standoff between the group’s protesters and law enforcement personnel in Rawalakot continued on Friday and a region-wide strike entered its 11th day. According to official notifications issued by the AJK Home Department, those placed on the Fourth Schedule included 33 activists from Poonch, 31 from Sudhnoti, 15 each from Kotli and Bagh, 14 from Mirpur, 10 from Bhimber, eight each from Neelum and Haveli, and four from Muzaffarabad. The notifications said the decision had been taken at the 41st meeting of the AJK cabinet on June 5. Strike enters its 11th day; life remains disrupted across much of Poonch, Muzaffarabad divisions Official sources said more names could be added to the Fourth Schedule on the basis of intelligence reports and ongoing investigations. One official claimed that the properties of those placed o...

Law enforcement agencies conducted a raid at the residence of Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) leader Mehran Arshad Khawaja in Dadyal tehsil of Mirpur district, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), recovering a drone, weapons, and other suspicious items, officials said.

• Curfew-like restrictions eased • Commercial activity takes a hit as internet outages affect ATMs • AJK Legislative Assembly to meet today MUZAFFARABAD: The standoff between law enforcement personnel and supporters of the proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) in Rawalakot seemed to be winding down, with officials claiming on Monday that the days-long protest had visibly shrink. According to officials, who spo­ke to Dawn on condition of anony­mity, the central gathering at the Eidgah Ground is steadily shrinking, with most participants from other areas having quietly left. The majority of those still present are residents of nearby localities who arrive in the afternoon and return home late at night, an official said. The official maintained that law enforcement personnel had only engaged armed activists, and ruled out the possibility of negotiations with the proscribed group, stating that its members would either have to surrender or face strict legal action. Authorities have relaxed curfew-like res...

The officials said the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) had adopted increasingly confrontational tactics in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, including placing women and children at the forefront of protest activities while armed individuals remained behind them.

MUZAFFARABAD: The Poonch administration in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) is hopeful that the proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) protesters will disperse peacefully after a sizeable number of people gathered again after Friday prayers. The regional administration and the JAAC have been at odds over various issues, most notably the committee’s demand to abolish the 12 seats in the region’s Legislative Assembly that are reserved for refugees from Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir who settled in mainland Pakistan after 1947. However, an official of the district administration claimed that fewer than 2,000 people were present after dusk. He added that participants in the gathering remain uncertain as they cannot march towards Rawalakot, with all routes leading to the city blocked by law enforcement. “When their strength was around 15,000 to 16,000, even then they could not move towards Rawalakot. We have sent a message to JAAC leader Umar Nazir to call off the demonstration unconditionally,” said Poonch...

As tensions persist in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Thursday urged the now proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) to let the people of the region decide whether the 12 refugee seats should be abolished. The regional administration and the JAAC remain at odds over various issues, most notably the committee’s demand to abolish the 12 seats in the region’s Legislative Assembly that are reserved for refugees from Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir who settled in mainland Pakistan after 1947. Speaking on the floor of the National Assembly, the defence minister called on the JAAC to raise the issue in the upcoming elections, scheduled for July 27, and “take the issue to the public”. He questioned why the group was intent on deciding the issue pre-emptively, suggesting that it might be an attempt to shape the assembly “as per their will”. Asif noted that Kashmiri refugees settled in Pakistan had paid a “heavy price” to migrate to the country, and that the JAAC had no right to...