Security sources say another Ranger personnel was injured when the attackers also attacked police with automatic weapons.
Rangers personnel martyred in an attack by armed groups in Rawalakot. Photo: Express
Armed groups of the banned Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) attacked security forces and civilians in Rawalakot, killing one Rangers personnel and injuring another, security sources said on Tuesday.
After failing to achieve their “nefarious agenda”, armed groups of the banned group opened fire on a civilian area near Matial Maira Bus Terminal in Rawalakot on the morning of July 14, sources said in a statement. The objective of the dismissal was to provoke the public and reactivate participation in the sit-in, they added.
When the police intervened to control the law and order situation after the attack, armed groups attacked the police personnel with automatic weapons and ammunition, sources said, adding that Rangers personnel deployed to assist the police also reached the spot to help restore law and order.
According to security sources, the armed groups not only opened direct fire on law enforcement forces with modern weapons, but also used improvised explosive devices. One Ranger personnel was killed and another wounded in the attack, they said.
“Evidence confirms that the banned JAAC is pursuing an agenda to systematically defy the mandate of the State. This horrific incident has exposed the so-called peaceful struggle and the true face of the banned Awami Joint Action Committee,” the experts said.
“The use of modern weapons and improvised explosive devices constitutes terrorism carried out under a well-planned strategy and has become a serious and deadly threat to the survival of common people,” they added.
“The unprecedented sacrifices of security forces demonstrate that the establishment and protection of state power is essential in all circumstances,” the experts further said.
“The urgent need of the hour is to take immediate, strict and indiscriminate legal action against armed groups involved in attacks on state institutions,” they added.
“A decisive security operation against the armed groups of the banned Awami Joint Action Committee has become inevitable to restore law and order in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and establish the mandate of the State,” the experts said.
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On Monday, the AJK Education Department suspended 20 serving and retired employees of Rawalakot and Sudhnoti districts for allegedly participating in the JAAC sit-in protest in Rawalakot.
The measure comes as the government continues to apply disciplinary measures against public servants linked to the protest movement.
According to official sources, the suspended employees have been accused of participating in the ongoing protest. The department initiated disciplinary proceedings and appointed an investigative officer within the Department of Education to investigate the allegations and determine their veracity.
Among the suspended employees are 15 teachers, of which 12 are active and three are retired. The rest of the employees are three laborers, a laboratory assistant and an administrator.
Sources said the action follows an earlier move by Rawalakot Division authorities, which compiled a list of around 100 serving and retired government employees allegedly involved in or facilitating sit-ins organized by the JAAC. The list was forwarded to the relevant authorities for consideration of disciplinary measures.
