Muzaffarabad deputy commissioner confirms arrest of Mir during joint operation in Dhirkot
Chief of the banned Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), Shaukat Nawaz Mir. SCREEN CAPTURE / Youtube
Shaukat Nawaz Mir, chief of the recently banned Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), was arrested from Dhirkot area of Azad Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday, according to an official.
The situation in AJK remains tense after the government banned the JAAC, and the group continued its sit-in and vowed to maintain the protest until its “legitimate demands” are met.
Muzaffarabad Deputy Commissioner (DC) Munir Qureshi confirmed Mir’s arrest while speaking to The express PAkGazette.
Read: TTAP says police detained delegation heading to AJK
DC Qureshi said Mir was arrested from Dhirkot during a joint operation carried out by the district administration and police based on intelligence input.
Following the arrest, the JAAC also confirmed Mir’s arrest in a statement, saying that his colleague Saib Javed had also been arrested. He described the two as activists for “people’s rights, justice and a better future.”
The group alleged that Mir was arrested while trying to reach an ongoing sit-in, claiming that a search operation involving intelligence agencies, police and other institutions led to his detention before he could join the protest.
In a separate statement, the JAAC said Mir’s presence at the sit-in would have significantly boosted the morale of participants, but insisted that the arrest of a single leader would not weaken the movement.
“A voice can be repressed, but not resolved. A person can be arrested, but not the movement,” he added.
The JAAC said Mir was not alone and stated that the entire nation supported him, expressing confidence that “victory will be for justice.”
Urging its followers not to be discouraged, the group said the public movements did not depend on a single individual.
Also read: AJK govt rules out general amnesty for JAAC
“This is not just the movement of Shaukat Nawaz Mir, nor just that of the core members. This is the movement of the entire public,” the statement said.
The JAAC added that arrests, raids, imprisonment and sacrifices had historically been part of public movements, and expressed confidence that Mir would soon return to the people.
Until then, he said, the public will remain “his voice” and carry forward his mission, adding that the movement will emerge stronger despite the arrest and that “ultimately, victory will belong to the people and defeat to tyranny, arrogance and the exploitative system.”
Background
Recent riots and deadly clashes broke out in areas including Rawalakot where the JAAC had been staging a sit-in in front of the Rawalakot Combined Military Hospital. AJK Police allege that armed JAAC members opened fire on law enforcement forces deployed in a planned attack, leaving four personnel dead and around 20 injured. JAAC, however, disputes this version, stating that security forces used tear gas and fired projectiles towards the hospital.
According to the AJK police, three people linked to the JAAC and four law enforcement officers died during the protests. JAAC, however, said in a statement on
The clash occurred when the AJK government and the JAAC witnessed a clash as the AJK election date was announced as July 27.
Read more: Certain elements seek to create instability in AJK despite repeated offers of dialogue: Rana Sanaullah
AJK’s 53-member legislative assembly includes 12 seats reserved for Kashmiri refugees, people who fled Indian-controlled Kashmir in 1947 and 1965 and are now scattered across Pakistan. Six seats represent refugees from the Jammu division (~434,000 people) and six from the Kashmir Valley (~30,000 people), an already imbalanced arrangement that many consider unfair.
The region witnessed one of its most turbulent periods in October last year, when protests led by the JAAC broke out over demands for constitutional and governance reforms. At least nine people, including three police officers, died during the riots.
The JAAC, which organized the protests and strike, had put forward a wide-ranging charter of demands, including an end to the privileges enjoyed by the ruling elite, the abolition of 12 assembly seats reserved for refugees, and the elimination of the quota system.
Two days after the violence, the government and the JAAC reached an agreement covering 12 basic and 13 additional points. Under the agreement, both sides agreed to constitute a high-level committee to examine the issue of refugee seats in the AJK Legislative Assembly.
