MUZAFFARABAD:
On Monday a closure and the wheel-jam are going through Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), called by the Awami Awami Action Committee Jammu Kashmira (JKJAAC), paralyzed life in the main districts before growing violence after clashes in Neelum Bridge.
Directed by the central leader of JKJAAC Shaukat Nawaz Mir, the strike stopped Muzaffrabad, Mirpur, Poonch, Neelum, Bhimber and Palandari. The markets remained closed, the roads and internet services were blocked, they were largely restricted from Muzaffrabad, except areas that border Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Fixed, cellular and private Internet networks were also largely suspended.
The tensions broke out when the activists of the Muslim Conference had a parallel “AMAN March” in support of the merchants who wish to keep the companies open, confronted the JKJAAC protesters in Neelum Bridge. The supporters of the Muslim Conference, including the leader of the Raja Saqib Majeed party and his brother, supposedly opened fire against the protesters.
“The incident, captured in images of viral social networks, clearly shows people who shoot at the crowd,” said journalist Farhan Ahmed Khan. Four protesters were injured; One of them, Sudheer, later died in the hospital.
At night, almost 5,000 people gathered in Lal Chowk, where Shaukat Nawaz Mir pronounced a ardent 17 minutes speech.
He condemned the dismissal, accused the authorities of trying to organize “another May 9” through their “promotions”, and insisted that Jkjaac did not house hostility towards state institutions or the Pakistan army.
Mir announced that a protest would be held with the body of Sudheer in Chehlabandi in Neelum Road, demanding a FIR and Post Mortem, none of which had been completed.
He also asked for more demonstrations in Lal Chowk on Tuesday afternoon. “False filming are issued to suggest that everything is normal,” he claimed, promising to continue the protests until the demands are met.
Broader protests
The protests extended beyond Muzaffrabad, and Miles joined in sensitive areas in AJK under leaders, including Sardar Aman Khan.
The roads were blocked and the paralyzed cities. In the United Kingdom, demonstrations were made in London and Bradford, where Raja Amjad Ali Khan went to the Pakistani consulate.
“We don’t have a dispute with any institution or the army,” said Raja Amjad Ali. “Brand protesters as traitors only serve Pakistan’s enemies. This movement includes all schools of thought and only seeks the rights of people.”
Federal Minister of Cashmir Affairs, Ameer Muqam, urged the dialogue, remembering that he and Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudhry had tried to negotiate with JKJAAC days before.
The conversations failed, he said, since the demands related to the reforms of 12 seats and privileges of the Pakistan headquarters for officials required constitutional amendments.
The AJK government has not yet issued an official statement. Shooting reports were denied in ambulance. Jkjaac said the protesters who handled the cane symbolized the peaceful nature of their movement.
Meanwhile, the law enforcement agencies said that legal actions had begun against those involved in vandalism and disturbances.
“No one will be allowed to interrupt the daily lives of their malicious agendas,” security officials said “strict legal actions against anyone who damages public property or incites disturbances.”
