Warns that JAAC would be held responsible for any untoward incident arising from ongoing protests
MUZAFFARABAD:
The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government on Sunday warned that the banned Awami Joint Action Committee (JAAC) would be held responsible for any untoward incident involving students during the planned protests.
Addressing 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 on students to take part in protests on July 14 and 15 and had planned a students’ march in Muzaffarabad on July 15.
They said that under the agreement of October 4, 2025, all 38 demands of the now-banned JAAC had been accepted. However, the committee later strayed from fundamental rights demands and pursued anti-state goals, 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 Poonch division. He added that blockages on highways and link roads had paralyzed 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. He added that attacks on trucks carrying food, incidents of looting and siphoning of diesel did not reflect a peaceful protest.
The government spokesperson accused the banned JAAC of planning 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 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.
Spokespersons warned that the banned JAAC would be held responsible for any untoward incident arising from the ongoing protests, particularly any harm caused to students participating in the 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 misleading 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.
