- Armed men opened fire near the town of Matial Maira.
- The Rangers rushed in after police requested reinforcements.
- A member of the Rangers was also injured during an exchange of fire.
RAWALAKOT: One Rangers personnel was martyred and another injured after armed members belonging to the banned Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) attacked security forces in response to reports of indiscriminate firing near Matial Maira bus terminal in Rawalakot, security sources said on Tuesday.
According to sources, armed groups belonging to the banned JAAC opened indiscriminate fire on a civilian area near Matial Maira bus station early in the morning.
AJK police said the illegal outfit, having failed to mobilize public support in recent weeks, had resorted to firing in an attempt to shift the blame to security forces. The incident was captured using aerial surveillance, police said.
When the police, accompanied by security forces, intervened to restore public order, they were attacked by armed assailants.
Rangers personnel deployed to support the police also arrived at the scene, where a Rangers official embraced martyrdom and another was injured in an exchange of fire.
The AJK Police further confirmed that explosives were also used during the violence. He said an operation was underway to clear the area of armed JAAC members and protesters, alleging that local residents had been held hostage at gunpoint.
Police described the day’s events as evidence of violent behavior by the banned organization and said its armed members resorted to lawless tactics during the attack.
On June 5, the AJK government declared the JAAC a banned organization under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), saying the group was engaged in terrorism.
The ban was imposed days before the banned group’s planned June 9 protest seeking removal of 12 seats in AJK reserved for refugees from Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) who migrated to Pakistan after 1947.
