MUZAFFARABAD (MNN); Activists and supporters of the proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) ended their sit-ins on the outskirts of Rawalakot and returned to their respective areas shortly after midnight, officials said on Friday, amid reports of an impending large-scale operation by law enforcement agencies.
According to authorities, all three protest camps established on the eastern fringes of Rawalakot were vacated overnight. Officials claimed the participants dispersed after receiving indications that security forces were preparing a decisive action against the demonstrators.
The JAAC and the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) administration have been locked in a dispute over several issues, particularly the committee’s demand for the abolition of 12 seats in the Legislative Assembly reserved for refugees from Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir who migrated to Pakistan after 1947.
Poonch Divisional Commissioner Sardar Waheed Khan stated that all protesters had left the sit-in sites and returned to their hometowns. He said the administration had assembled a special force of around 1,000 personnel, including Rangers, Federal Constabulary and police from Islamabad and AJK, and had conducted a large flag march involving dozens of armoured and security vehicles ahead of the planned operation.
According to the commissioner, authorities had earlier attempted to arrest Umar Nazir Kashmiri, a prominent JAAC leader. He said indirect communication was later established through local community leaders, who conveyed messages urging him to surrender in the interest of public safety.
The commissioner claimed that JAAC leaders initially sought withdrawal of the notification declaring the organisation proscribed. However, after reports of extensive security deployments reached the protest camps, panic reportedly spread among the activists, leading to the dispersal of protesters from all three locations.
Authorities have directed deputy commissioners across the region to take action against individuals wanted in various criminal cases linked to the protests. Officials also confirmed that the computerised national identity cards and passports of 31 core JAAC members had been blocked.
The administration reiterated that it would not compromise on maintaining the writ of the state.
The protests appeared to conclude after Rawalakot observed a complete shutter-down strike for a third consecutive day on Thursday. The day also witnessed violence in which one protest participant was killed and four others were injured during clashes with law enforcement personnel on the outskirts of the city.
Meanwhile, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, speaking in the National Assembly, urged JAAC leaders to allow the people of Azad Kashmir to decide whether the 12 refugee seats should remain part of the Legislative Assembly.
The AJK government had declared JAAC a proscribed organisation following its announcement of a strike on June 9, alleging that the group was involved in activities harmful to peace and security. Since then, authorities have launched a crackdown, arresting numerous leaders and activists, initiating sedition proceedings against some members and announcing rewards for information leading to the arrest of key leaders.
Tensions in the region escalated sharply after earlier violent protests in Rawalakot that resulted in the deaths of at least four law enforcement personnel and seven civilians. The federal government has since deployed additional paramilitary forces to support local police, while visitors have been advised to postpone travel to the region until June 20.
