ISLAMABAD: One Rangers personnel was martyred on Tuesday after armed members of the banned Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) attacked security forces in Rawalakot city of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, according to officials.
Authorities said the armed group initially opened fire near a bus terminal in a civilian area of the city. As police moved in to restore law and order, the attackers used sophisticated weapons to target both police officers and Rangers personnel deployed to support the operation.
The Rangers official was martyred after being shot with gunfire during the exchange, officials said.
The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Police said explosives were also used during the violence, adding that an operation was underway to clear the area of armed members of the Joint Action Committee (JAAC) and protesters. Police said that some local residents had been held at gunpoint during the unrest.
Zero-tolerance policy towards proscribed Action Committee
Meanwhile, the Azad Jammu and Kashmir government has announced a zero-tolerance policy toward members of the proscribed Action Committee accused of engaging in unlawful and disruptive activities.
According to officials, the government has revoked a notification that had withdrawn criminal cases against members of the banned group, prompting police in Mirpur to resume legal proceedings. The reactivated cases include allegations of damage to public property, vandalism, arson, rioting, and attacks on security personnel.
Mirpur Police said the cancellation of the notification has cleared the way for the arrest of individuals named in the cases, and efforts to apprehend the suspects are underway.
Six accused persons, including Zaheer, a close associate of the ringleader Mehran, have been arrested, while raids are continuing to apprehend the other accused persons.
Banned Action Committee sabotaging peace in Azad Kashmir
Azad Jammu and Kashmir Home Secretary Chaudhry Guftar Hussain and Secretary Elementary and Secondary Education have said that the banned Awami Action Committee has been sabotaging the peace and normal life of Azad Kashmir for the last 38 days.
Addressing a joint press conference, they said that normal life has been restored in most areas of the state, all government and private institutions are working as usual, while law enforcement agencies are conducting operations in Rawalakot to restore law and order and clear important highways.
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He appealed to the people of Rawalakot to reject the anarchic elements and cooperate with the state institutions for the complete restoration of businesses, educational institutions, and transport.
The Home Secretary said that summer camps for board classes in Muzaffarabad, Mirpur, Kotli, Leepa, Kiel, and other areas have started regularly from July 13, in which the large participation of students is proof of the confidence in the education and positive activities of the new generation.
He said that parents, teachers, and the public want the future of children to be associated with books, pens, research, and knowledge, and not with protests and clashes. He warned that the loss of pushing the young generation away from education and into protest politics will be for the entire state.
He added that the government and state institutions stand by the people, practical steps are being taken for peace, stability, development, and prosperity across the state, and very soon, all spheres of life in Azad Jammu and Kashmir will return to normal.
Secretary Elementary and Secondary Education, in his remarks, said that the banned Public Action Committee has adopted a new worrying strategy after continuously declining public support and the indifference of its leaders.
He said that after losing public support, the committee is trying to create a human shield by bringing women, innocent children, female students, and students forward in the protest, which is not only condemnable but also poses a serious threat to their lives and safety.
He said that snatching the pen from the hands of students and making them the fuel of protest politics is toying with the future of the new generation.
The AJK government declared JAAC a proscribed organisation on June 5 under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), stating that the group was involved in activities it classified as terrorism.
The ban was imposed ahead of a planned June 9 protest by the group, which was calling for the removal of 12 seats in the AJK Assembly reserved for refugees from Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir who migrated to Pakistan after 1947.
