MUZAFFARABAD: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government on Tuesday accused the banned Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) of attempting to disrupt the ongoing electoral process through violent protests and acts of unrest.
Addressing a press conference in Muzaffarabad, AJK Secretary Information Muhammad Rashid Hanif, accompanied by AJK Police spokesperson Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Irfan Masood Kashfi, said the government remained committed to maintaining law and order and ensuring the peaceful conduct of elections.
Maintaining public order government’s foremost responsibility
Hanif said maintaining public order was the government’s foremost responsibility and assured that all necessary measures would be taken to safeguard citizens and protect the integrity of the electoral process.
The information secretary recalled that the AJK government had declared JAAC a proscribed organisation on June 5 under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), due to the group’s involvement in terrorist activities.
Hanif said that members of the banned organisation included armed individuals, terrorists and people linked to Fitna al-Khawarij, a term used by the state to refer to terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
He said state institutions possessed evidence supporting these allegations.
Public urged to remain vigilant against misinformation
He urged the public to remain vigilant against misinformation being spread regarding the protests.
“While only a small number of ordinary citizens are involved, armed individuals, terrorists and members of Fitna al-Khawarij are also present, which falls within the definition of terrorism,” Hanif said.
He alleged that innocent people had been misled into participating in the demonstrations and appealed to citizens to distance themselves from the banned organisation. He added that the government would launch a public awareness campaign to counter misinformation.
Hanif also accused elements within JAAC of using civilians as human shields during the protests.
The information secretary said the public’s participation in the first phase of AJK elections in Mirpur Division demonstrated the people’s preference for resolving political issues through peaceful and democratic means rather than violence.
Protesters used automatic weapons during clashes
DIG Irfan Masood Kashfi said several protesters involved in the clashes were carrying sophisticated firearms, including automatic weapons.
He said five police personnel, including a police officer, were injured after coming under gunfire during the unrest.
Also Read: Fact Check: Banned Joint Awami Action Committee Drama Exposed in Azad Kashmir
According to Kashfi, preliminary information indicated that the protesters were equipped with M-4 rifles, submachine guns (SMGs), AK-47 rifles and other modern weapons, with reports suggesting that snipers had also been deployed.
“These were not peaceful protesters but armed terrorists,” the police spokesperson said.
Kashfi urged the public to cooperate with law enforcement agencies and remain in close contact with the administration, stressing that public support was essential for maintaining peace, stability and the rule of law across the region.
They planned this for weeks: Azad Kashmir PM
Earlier, while sharing a video of several people carrying arms in AJK, the region’s Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore said, “They planned this for weeks, and now they have got what they wanted: the blood of innocent Kashmiris.”
They planned this for weeks and now they’ve got what they wanted: blood of innocent Kashmiris.
The rioters not only have sophisticated weapons, they have the advantage of access to all vantage points from where they take aim at security forces whose only objective has been to… pic.twitter.com/SjPYum5aFA
— Faisal Mumtaz Rathore (@PMofAJK) July 28, 2026
“The rioters not only have sophisticated weapons, they also have the advantage of access to all vantage points from where they take aim at security forces, whose only objective has been to contain the situation and prevent escalation,” Rathore stated.
He added that the march to Muzaffarabad during the elections was a “conniving plan to trigger mass unrest”.
“I appeal to the people to stay away from these agitators who have a proven record of using civilians as human shields and creating a win-win situation for themselves once security personnel act in self-defence,” he said.
Indian supported Joint Action Committee activist caught red-handed
Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Sunday said investigations by the country’s security agencies had uncovered an India-linked digital propaganda network involving an arrested digital marketing service provider connected to the banned Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) in the region.
The minister said investigators had gathered evidence showing that social media campaigns promoting anti-Pakistan content and activities related to the banned group were financed from India.
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, Tarar said the investigation had exposed a coordinated digital disinformation operation aimed at spreading anti-state narratives, targeting Pakistan’s sovereignty, state institutions, the armed forces and the Chief of Army Staff through organised social media campaigns.
Referring to previous protests in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Tarar said the banned committee was involved in encouraging violence, blocking roads and creating law and order problems.
He said that demonstrations organised by the banned group had resulted in the deaths of Kashmiri police personnel and disrupted public order.
The minister said authorities now possessed “irrefutable evidence” linking the banned action committee to India.
“There should no longer be any doubt that its links lead to India, and we now have undeniable evidence,” he said.
