MUZAFFARABAD: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government on Monday said the banned Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) is involved in orchestrating violent and anti-state activities, undermining the democratic process and attempting to destabilise the region, adding that the group’s actions had caused losses of around Rs15 billion over the past.
Addressing a joint press conference along with the spokesperson of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Police in Muzaffarabad, AJK Information Secretary Muhammad Rashid Hanif said the banned group had incited civil disobedience, attacked government institutions, targeted security personnel, blocked roads, looted supply trucks and spread anti-state narratives through speeches and social media.
Hanif said that 79 first information reports (FIRs) had been registered against the banned group’s leaders and activists. He said that the JAAC’s July 5 strike call had been overwhelmingly rejected by the public and business community.
The information secretary said that the banned group is using women and children as shields during protests. He said that the banned group is collecting funds, weapons and drugs, and circulating false content, including AI-generated material and old images from Gaza and Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, to mislead the public.
Hanif said that the banned Action Committee tried to destroy the peace of Azad Kashmir through violent activities. He said that activists of the banned JAAC had hijacked the public rights movement.
Relief for Kashmiri people
The information secretary said that the Azad Jammu and Kashmir government has already given the Kashmiri people a huge subsidy in terms of cheap flour and cheap electricity. He said that the banned Action Committee is trying unsuccessfully to disrupt the upcoming elections, which is a direct attack on the democratic process.
Hanif said that speeches of the banned JAAC leaders tried to incite the people to violence. He said that the group was declared banned due to its involvement in violent activities.
The AJK Information Secretary said that the banned committee is receiving support from anti-state elements like Amjad Ayub Mirza, who is using Kashmiris in Europe against Pakistan with Indian funding.
The banned committee’s call for a strike on July 5 was completely rejected by the people and traders, Hanif said. He added that the brave people of Azad Kashmir want economic relief, not the spread of unrest by miscreants.
Hanif said that the lives of the people of the Poonch and Sudhanoti districts were made miserable by spreading fear and panic. He said that the banned group snatched the pens from the hands of the youth and handed them sticks.
Foreign funding behind JAAC’s agenda in AJK
The AJK Information Secretary said that state institutions had credible evidence of foreign funding behind the banned JAAC’s “agenda” in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
“The institutions have evidence of the use of Indian funding to mobilise overseas Kashmiris, such as UK-based Amjad Ayub Mirza, to advance an anti-Pakistan agenda,” Hanif said.
He said the people of AJK have dismissed the “baseless disinformation campaign on social media”.
The information secretary elaborated that for the past month, members of the proscribed organisation had carried out multiple “illegal and violent” activities under the guise of human rights advocacy.
“This apparent human rights movement has held the entire region hostage,” he said.
In the Poonch belt, he said JAAC members had made public life difficult through harassment and the spread of fear. “They tried to misdirect the youth, replacing the pen with the baton,” Hanif said.
He added that the human rights movement had now “turned into a violent movement”.
During the press conference, the information secretary also shared visuals with the media showing JAAC members blocking roads by cutting trees, targeting hospitals, and making anti-Pakistan remarks.
“Economic and business activity has been suspended in the region, which has caused losses of Rs15 billion to the government, which already has limited resources,” he said.
JAAC’s harassment of public
Meanwhile, an AJK police spokesperson claimed JAAC miscreants loot goods carriers and physically abuse drivers; as a result, drivers are afraid to enter the region.
In the Poonch division, he said JAAC members were harassing and abusing the public, including government officials.
“On behalf of the AJK police, I want to reassure you that we will restore the supply chain and clear the road blockades soon.”
The spokesperson also cited various incidents of lawlessness and violent activity by JAAC members in the region. He claimed that members of the proscribed organisation used firearms on July 4 to intimidate the public and spread a narrative that the state had launched a crackdown.
He said the JAAC leadership now had only one option: surrender to law enforcement agencies, and that the law would deal with them accordingly.
He said the disrespect of patients and injured personnel in CMH Rawalakot by the banned group is a black mark on the peaceful traditions of Azad Kashmir.
He said that the banned committee had martyred three personnel by firing on police personnel in Rawalakot.
