Warns that JAAC will be held responsible for any untoward incidents arising out of the ongoing protests
MUZAFFARABAD:
The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government on Sunday warned that the banned Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) would be held responsible for any untoward incident involving students during its planned protests.
In a joint press conference, AJK government spokesperson Chaudhry Guftar Hussain and AJK police spokesperson Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Irfan Masood Kashfi said the banned group had called for students to participate in demonstrations on 14 and 15 July and planned a march of students to Muzaffarabad on 15 July.
They said that under the October 4, 2025 agreement, all 38 demands of the now-banned JAAC had been accepted. However, the committee later deviated from the demands regarding fundamental rights and pursued anti-state objectives, which led to it being banned under the Act.
The government spokesman said the 36-day sit-in had severely disrupted the supply of food, medicine and other essential commodities in Poonch division. He added blockades on highways and link roads had paralyzed public movement and created shortages of essential items in several areas.
DIG Kashfi said the government had both a constitutional and moral obligation to restore blocked roads, but claimed that any attempt to reopen them had been met with resistance and gunfire from JAAC members. He claimed that road clearing teams in Shujaabad came under heavy firing from adjoining areas and nearby forests, injuring policemen.
In Arja-Jhandala, he said, a bulldozer operator was injured after the machine came under fire while clearing a blocked road, while security personnel escorting the injured operator were also hit. He added that attacks on trucks carrying food supplies, incidents of looting and siphoning diesel did not reflect a peaceful protest.
The government spokesman accused the outlawed JAAC of planning to use women and children as human shields by placing them in front of law enforcement personnel, holding them against their will and passing them on with copies of the Holy Quran and white flags.
He called such plans reprehensible and said that the Holy Quran should not be used in any confrontation or protest as it was contrary to its sanctity and Islamic teachings. He also described incitement, attacks on law enforcement agencies and damage to public property as unacceptable.
The spokespersons warned that the banned JAAC would be held responsible for any untoward incident arising from the ongoing protests, especially any injury caused by students participating in the demonstrations.
They reiterated that maintaining the rule of law and providing relief to citizens remained the constitutional responsibility of the government. They also confirmed that the upcoming AJK Legislative Assembly elections would be held in accordance with the announced schedule, with no possibility of postponement or changes, adding that all administrative and security arrangements had been completed to ensure free, fair, transparent and peaceful elections.
The spokespersons appealed to the public and urged AJK residents to participate responsibly in the democratic process by exercising their right to vote and reject inflammatory propaganda, rumors and divisive narratives.
They said preservation of peace, stability and rule of law was a shared responsibility and urged people to remain vigilant against misleading campaigns aimed at damaging AJK’s peaceful image. They added that the AJK government and other state institutions would continue to protect peace, uphold the rule of law and protect public interest at all costs.
