Warns that JAAC would be responsible for any untoward incidents arising from the ongoing protests
MUZAFFARABAD:
The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government on Sunday warned that the banned Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) would be held responsible for any untoward incident involving students during their planned protests.
In a joint press conference, AJK government spokesperson Chaudhry Guftar Hussain and AJK police spokesperson Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Irfan Masood Kashfi said the illegal group had called on students to take part in the protests on July 14 and 15 and had planned a students’ march to Muzaffarabad on July 15.
They said that according to the agreement of October 4, 2025, all 38 demands of the now banned JAAC had been accepted. However, the committee later deviated from fundamental rights demands and pursued anti-state objectives, leading to its ban by law.
The government spokesperson said the 36-day sit-in had severely disrupted the supply of food, medicine and other essential commodities in Poonch Division. He added that blockades on highways and link roads had paralyzed public movement 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 had been met with resistance and gunshots from JAAC members. He claimed that road cleaning teams in Shujaabad came under heavy fire from adjacent areas and nearby forests, injuring law enforcement officers.
In Arja-Jhandala, he said, an excavator operator was injured after the machine was attacked while clearing a blocked road, while security personnel escorting the injured operator were also attacked. He added that attacks on trucks carrying food, incidents of looting and the diversion 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 personnel, keeping them at the protest against their will and sending them carrying copies of the Holy Quran and white flags.
He termed such plans as condemnable and said the Holy Quran should not be used in any confrontation or protest as it is contrary to its sanctity and Islamic teachings. He also described incitement, attacks on law enforcement and damage to public property as unacceptable.
The spokespersons warned that the banned JAAC would be held responsible for any untoward incidents 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 relief to citizens remained the constitutional responsibility of the government. They also reaffirmed that the upcoming AJK Legislative Assembly elections will be held as per the announced schedule, with no possibility of postponement or changes, adding that all administrative and security arrangements had been finalized to ensure free, fair, transparent and peaceful elections.
Appealing to the public, the spokespersons urged residents of AJK to responsibly participate in the democratic process by exercising their right to vote and rejecting inflammatory propaganda, rumors and divisive narratives.
They said preserving peace, stability and the rule of law was a shared responsibility and called on people to remain vigilant against misleading campaigns aimed at damaging AJK’s peaceful image. They added that the AJK government and other state institutions would continue to safeguard peace, uphold the rule of law and protect public interest at all costs.
