AJK Home Minister Chaudhry Guftar Hussain addresses a press conference alongside Primary and Secondary Education Secretary Qazi Inayat in Mirpur on Tuesday. SCREENSHOT
The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government on Tuesday insisted that an operation against the banned Jammu and Kashmir Awami Action Committee (JAAC) had become inevitable after an attack on security forces and civilians in Rawalakot left a Rangers official martyred and another injured.
Sources said armed groups affiliated with the banned JAAC opened fire on Tuesday morning in a civilian area near Matial Maira bus station in Rawalakot. The attackers also fired automatic weapons at the police as they prepared to control public order after the attack.
The sources said Rangers personnel reached the spot to assist the police in restoring law and order. However, the armed attackers not only opened direct fire on them but also used improvised explosive devices (IEDs). As a result, Ranger Naik Imtiyaz Ali was martyred, while another official was injured.
Read: Rangers personnel martyred in Rawalakot attack by banned JAAC armed groups
Later, addressing a joint press conference alongside Education Secretary, AJK Interior Minister Chaudhry Guftar Hussain said that authorities had launched a clean-up operation after the attack, adding that a full-fledged operation against armed groups had become inevitable to restore peace in AJK.
The interior minister said the banned JAAC had disrupted peace and normal life in the region for the past 38 days under the guise of a rights movement, while using intimidation and blackmail to advance an anti-Pakistan agenda to malign the Pakistani armed forces.
He alleged that traders were threatened with closing their markets, while students, women and children were used as human shields and young people were pushed out of classrooms and into political protests.
Hussain said normal life had been restored in most areas, educational institutions had resumed operations and government institutions were fully mobilized to respond to all forms of intimidation and disorder, in accordance with the law.
The interior minister told the media that Khawaja Mehran, identified as the leader of the banned outfit, had set a deadline of 48 hours to block all entry points into AJK. He added that similar threats had failed in the past as people distanced themselves from the banned organization.
“The use of sophisticated automatic weapons and improvised explosive devices contradicts the committee’s assertion that peaceful protests are prohibited,” he said. “This makes a decisive operation to liberate the public from armed miscreants inevitable.”
Hussain said law enforcement agencies were carrying out clearance operation in Baloch Bazaar to reopen the Kotli-Tarar Khal road and other major highways. The operation would continue until all roads are secure, public safety restored and the supply of essential commodities fully assured.
Read also: Former JAAC member urges leaders to withdraw Rawalakot long march and sit-in
Speaking at the same press conference, Primary and Secondary Education Secretary Qazi Inayat said that after losing public support and seeing its own leaders distance themselves, the banned JAAC had adopted a new strategy of placing women, children and students at the forefront of protests as human shields.
“Involving children and students in protests puts their lives in danger and amounts to sacrificing the future of the younger generation for political purposes,” he said.
Inayat added that the department had ordered all educational institutions in Rawalakot to keep students away from any protest activities.
He warned there was a serious risk that students in school uniforms could be used as human shields during protests. He added that educational institutions had been instructed to closely monitor the attendance and movement of students and immediately inform parents if any such situation arises.
The interior minister warned that legal action would be taken against any institution or administration that violated official guidelines or allowed students to participate in protests.
“Schools and colleges, not protest camps, are the ideal place for students,” he added.
Both officials stressed that public and private institutions were functioning as usual and medical and other colleges had reopened in Muzaffarabad, Mirpur, Kotli and other areas. They added that summer camps for boarding classes have also started in Muzaffarabad, Mirpur, Kotli, Leepa and Kel.
They urged the people of Rawalakot to reject disruptive elements and cooperate with the state so that businesses, transport services and educational institutions can return to normal.
