PTI, TTAP slams ban on JAAC, calls for dialogue

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and Tehreek-i-Tahaffuz-i-Aaeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) on Saturday criticized the decision to declare the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) a banned organisation, urging the authorities to resolve political disputes through dialogue and constitutional means rather.

The remarks came a day after the Azad Jammu and Kashmir government declared JAAC a banned organisation, accusing it of being involved in terrorism, promoting hatred and creating anarchy in the state.

In a statement issued by PTI’s information secretary, Sheikh Waqas Akram, on his X account, PTI expressed concern over the AJK government’s decision and over the violence reported in Rawalakot, where, according to it, one person had been killed and several others injured.

“Political, social and constitutional grievances must be addressed through democratic engagement, meaningful dialogue and constitutional means – not through prohibition, coercion or the use of force,” the party said.

Questioning the government’s decision, the PTI said the authorities had engaged with the committee for months before declaring it a banned organisation.

“If JAAC was really a terrorist organization, why did the government spend months negotiating with it, signing agreements with it, implementing its demands, holding meetings with its leadership and treating it as a legitimate stakeholder until yesterday?” asked the statement.

Read: AJK govt bans Joint Awami Action Committee as tensions rise ahead of June 9 protest call

The party said the strike call had been issued following what it described as a breach of an agreement between the government and the committee. It also said JAAC included people from various political parties and civil society groups and had emerged in response to what it called poor governance.

Drawing parallels with its own experience, the PTI said the decision reflected a wider pattern of suppressing political dissent.

“This is the same failed model that has been used against PTI. Suppress peaceful protests, block roads, suspend communications, intimidate citizens and then call any democratic demand a threat to the state,” it said.

The party maintained that disputes over refugee seats, electoral representation and the powers of the legislature should be dealt with through “open debate, judicial review and political engagement” rather than declaring citizens’ platforms for terrorist organisations.

The PTI also warned that unrest in AJK could have wider implications for Pakistan’s stance on the Kashmir issue.

“Any internal unrest in Azad Jammu and Kashmir must be handled with extreme caution because India is always looking for opportunities to distort facts, spread propaganda and weaken Pakistan’s moral and diplomatic stance on Kashmir,” the statement said.

Calling for a review of the decision, the PTI demanded that the government restore communication services, protect peaceful assemblies, avoid collective punishment and initiate dialogue with all stakeholders.

“History proves that the use of force has never produced lasting political solutions,” the party said, adding that political problems required political solutions.

TTAP condemns ban

Separately, TTAP, an alliance of opposition parties, condemned the decision to designate JAAC a terrorist organization and ban its activities.

In a statement, the alliance said linking a public and political rights movement to terrorism was contrary to facts and democratic principles.

“Associating a public, political and unconstitutional organization with terrorism is not only contrary to the facts, but also an attack on basic democratic principles, civil liberties and the right to vote,” it said.

The alliance accused the AJK government and the federal authorities of relying on force and coercive measures rather than political engagement.

“Instead of listening to dissenting voices and seeking political solutions to political issues, the government of Azad Kashmir and the federal authorities are resorting to the path of force, prohibition and coercion,” the statement said.

It argued that labeling public demands as terrorism amounted to an admission of political failure and would deepen the divide between the state and the people.

Also read: 72 held in AJK repression as the government defends JAAC ban

The alliance demanded an immediate withdrawal of the decision, lifting of the ban on the committee and initiation of “broad, meaningful and result-oriented negotiations” involving political parties, civil society, traders, lawyers and other stakeholders in AJK.

“The solution to problems lies not in bans, lawsuits and the use of force, but in dialogue, public participation and democratic processes,” it said.

The alliance further warned that criminalizing political dissent and labeling public movements as terrorism was neither in the interest of democracy nor beneficial to national unity and Pakistan’s stance on the Kashmir issue.

Meanwhile, former senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed described the move as a “wrong decision at the wrong time” in a post on X, saying it repeated previous mistakes in handling dissent and questioned the use of anti-terror laws against political opponents.

Former senator Afrasiab Khattak called the ban “a gross violation of all the fundamental rights of the constitution”.

In a post on X, he said, “Banning the Jammu Kashmir Awami Action Committee, a non-violent voice of the people, during the anti-terror act is a gross violation of all the fundamental rights of the Constitution.”

The leader of the Haqooq-i-Khalq Party, Ammar Ali Jan, also criticized the decision, arguing that repression during elections would increase anger and instability.