Raja Amjad Khan says Rawalakot protest caused hardship and several deaths during prolonged unrest
Former JAAC senior member Raja Amjad Ali Khan has urged the group’s leaders to immediately call off the month-long Rawalakot long march and sit-in. PHOTO: EXPRESS
MUZZAFARABAD:
Former senior member of the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) Raja Amjad Ali Khan on Sunday appealed to JAAC leaders Umar Nazeer Kashmiri and Khawaja Mehran to immediately withdraw the call for the long march and sit-in in Rawalakot, which has been going on for over a month.
In a video message, he said the prolonged protest in Rawalakot had caused immense hardship to the people of Rawalakot division, especially Rawalakot, and said several precious lives were also lost during the unrest.
Khan urged the people of Rawalakot not to be part of the disruptive elements and instead support efforts to restore peace and stability. He also appealed to the Kashmiri diaspora in the UK and other countries not to rely on unverified information circulating on social media and to play a constructive role in promoting peace in the region.
“The time has come to relieve the people of Rawalakot of these difficulties and restore peace, stability and normal life,” he said.
Meanwhile, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Government Spokesperson Chaudhry Guftar Hussain and AJK Police Spokesperson Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Irfan Masood Kashfi said in a joint press conference that the AJK Government and the Government of Pakistan have always given priority to dialogue, reconciliation and peaceful resolution of public issues.
They said that under the agreement of October 4, 2025, the 38 demands of the now-banned JAAC were accepted in the broader public interest. However, they alleged that the committee subsequently deviated from fundamental rights requirements and pursued anti-state objectives, leading to its banning by law.
The government spokesperson said the 36-day sit-in had seriously disrupted the supply of food, medicines and other essential commodities in Rawalakot division. He said blockages on highways and link roads had crippled public travel and created shortages of essential items in several areas.
DIG Kashfi said the government had both a constitutional and moral obligation to restore the blocked roads, but alleged that every attempt to reopen them was met with resistance and firing by JAAC members.
He said snow clearance teams in Shujaabad came under heavy fire from neighboring areas and neighboring forests, injuring law enforcement personnel. 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 targeted.
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The government spokesperson further claimed that the JAAC planned to use women and children as human shields by placing them in front of law enforcement, keeping them at the demonstration against their will and sending them off with copies of the Holy Quran and white flags. He termed such alleged plans condemnable, saying the Holy Quran should not be used in a confrontation or protest as it was against its sanctity and Islamic teachings.
He also described incitement to hatred, attacks against law enforcement and damage to public property as unacceptable.
The spokespersons warned that the JAAC would be held responsible for any untoward incident arising from the ongoing protests.
They reiterated that maintaining the rule of law and providing assistance to citizens remained the constitutional responsibility of the government. They also reaffirmed that the upcoming AJK Legislative Assembly elections would be held as per the announced schedule, without possibility of postponement or modification, adding that all administrative and security arrangements had been finalized to ensure free, fair, transparent and peaceful elections.
Addressing the audience, the spokespersons urged the people of AJK to responsibly participate in the democratic process by exercising their right to vote and rejecting inflammatory propaganda, rumors and divisive speeches. They said preserving peace, stability and the rule of law was a shared responsibility and called on the people to remain vigilant against what they described as deceptive campaigns aimed at damaging AJK’s peaceful image.
They added that the AJK government and other public institutions would continue to safeguard peace, uphold the rule of law and protect public interest at all costs.
