AJK Government Rejects Broad Amnesty for Banned JAAC Leaders

In Muzaffarabad, the Azad Jammu and Kashmir administration announced on Tuesday that it will not grant a blanket amnesty to the leaders of the banned Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), attributing recent fatalities and unrest to them and pledging to pursue legal measures against the individuals.

The regional government and the JAAC continue to clash over several matters, chiefly the committee’s call to eliminate the twelve seats in the AJK Legislative Assembly that are set aside for refugees from Indian‑administered Kashmir who relocated to Pakistan after 1947.

During a joint press briefing with Police Inspector General Liaqat Ali Malik, Chief Secretary Khushal Khan stated that the JAAC leadership has become fragmented regarding ongoing negotiations and mediation efforts.

On Tuesday, the JAAC‑organized strike persisted across several areas of the territory, with Muzaffarabad and Poonch experiencing a partial shutdown, while normal operations largely resumed in Mirpur.

Although a limited number of banks in AJK commenced operations, ongoing connectivity problems left internet services suspended, and public transportation remained halted in many locales.

At the press conference, Khushal indicated that the government had presented the JAAC with several constitutional avenues to address its demand for the twelve Legislative Assembly seats reserved for refugees from Indian‑held Kashmir, such as an all‑parties conference, a parliamentary session, and legal recourse.

He asserted that, despite keeping all channels of dialogue open, the organization had expanded its list of demands from two initial points to thirty‑eight and subsequently added further items.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry has maintained that 35 of the 38 demands previously agreed upon by the JAAC and the government in October have been satisfied.

During the press conference, the chief secretary declared that road blockades and violent actions were unacceptable, alleging that highways had been obstructed by felled trees and that trucks transporting goods had been seized and set ablaze in certain locations.

He further claimed that an attempt to hijack relief‑supply trucks occurred in Rawalakot, but law enforcement recovered the vehicles.

Khan stated that maintaining subsidised flour and electricity rates imposes a significant financial burden on the government; he warned that lowering electricity tariffs to Rs2.75 per unit could incur annual losses of Rs8‑10 billion, with subsidies on flour and electricity requiring allocations of Rs20‑25 billion from federal and AJK resources.

Apparently referring to the large number of women and children participating in recent sit‑ins, the chief secretary alleged that the JAAC leadership was attempting to use them as human shields.

The official further alleged that overseas activists associated with the JAAC were chanting anti‑state slogans.

“Political blackmail has been eliminated, and an era of peaceful, civilised, and logical dialogue has begun,” he said, adding that the government will continue to employ constitutional and legal measures to preserve peace and stability.

“Negotiations will never be conducted under duress.”

Speaking at the event, IGP Malik alleged that activists of the banned JAAC opened fire on police during a routine checkpoint inspection on June 5, resulting in the death of one activist and injuries to JAAC leader Umar Nazir and two police officers.

He claimed that a post‑mortem examination of the deceased driver indicated that he was shot in the back of the neck, suggesting that the fatal bullet originated from within the vehicle rather than from security forces.

The police chief further alleged that JAAC activists attacked the Rawalakot Combined Military Hospital (CMH), killing three policemen assigned to its security detail and assaulting patients and medical personnel.

He said law‑enforcement agencies will continue actions against those engaged in “anti‑state” activities and will uphold state authority at all costs.

Describing the ongoing protest movement, he contended: “This is not a long march but an organised mobilisation.”

The IGP also alleged that women and children were being used as human shields, adding that there were reports of weapons concealed beneath burqas. The IGP did not provide further supporting information.

Moreover, the IGP asserted that those who surrender unconditionally would be treated fairly under the law.

AJK PM says JAAC showed ‘zero flexibility’

Meanwhile, AJK Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore said reports that the JAAC had approached Jamiat Ulema‑i‑Islam‑Fazl (JUI‑F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman for mediation vindicated his government’s longstanding emphasis on dialogue to resolve the current standoff.

In his video message, Fazl said he has accepted the JAAC leaders’ invitation to mediate and resolve the “crisis and tense situation” in AJK.

However, noting that he was approached while the JAAC was deliberating its future course of action, Fazl said he needs time to convince the government to engage in dialogue.

Fazl, known for his engagement with politicians across the spectrum, urged the JAAC to postpone its sit‑in and refrain from intensifying its protest so that a pathway for talks can be established.

Commenting on the veteran politician’s video, Rathore said the government had, from the outset, urged JAAC leaders not to abandon negotiations and to return to the table.

“Isn’t this what we have been asking of them since Day 1?” he wrote on X, asserting that the group has demonstrated “zero flexibility” despite repeated appeals to end its lockdown and agitation campaign.

“They ignored us,” the AJK premier said.

“Now, after raising slogans against alleged “political interference” in AJK affairs, they have approached the respected Maulana Fazal‑ur‑Rehman of JUI, Pakistan, for mediation,” he said.

In a Monday post, Rathore expressed concern over the hardships faced by residents in areas affected by the ongoing standoff and said he had directed relevant officials to provide immediate relief to the public.

Rathore alleged that online videos showed miscreants threatening and, in some cases, assaulting traders who opted to keep their businesses open.

Rathore stressed that the government had repeatedly appealed for “meaningful dialogue”, welcomed third‑party mediation efforts, and even opened back‑channel contacts for negotiations, but claimed that these efforts had failed.

Referring to reports that the JAAC had issued another ultimatum to the government and threatened a march on Muzaffarabad, he warned that any attempt to further aggravate the situation would be dealt with “with full force of law”.

“I assure all of you that days of chaos and unrest will soon be behind us, and I am confident that peace and calm will return to our land for good,” he wrote.

On June 9, the day the JAAC was scheduled to begin its strike, AJK Prime Minister Faisal Rathore called for the issue to be resolved through talks.

As strikes disrupted routine life in some areas, Rathore said a week earlier that the JAAC bore primary responsibility for pushing the situation to a point where lives were lost, adding, “If they enjoy public support, they should become part of the system and bring reforms from within.”

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto‑Zardari, whose party holds power in AJK, has also called for the issue to be resolved in a democratic and peaceful manner.

JAAC ban

Ahead of the July 27 elections in AJK, the JAAC called for widespread protests demanding the abolition of the twelve seats in the region’s Legislative Assembly reserved for refugees from occupied Kashmir who settled in mainland Pakistan after 1947.

Elections for these seats are conducted separately from the 33 general seats in AJK, with refugees registered in twelve constituencies across Pakistan voting for their representatives. The seats have long been politically sensitive due to disputes over voter lists, delimitation, and constitutional amendments.

On June 5, the JAAC was declared a proscribed organization by the regional government and placed under the First Schedule of the region’s Anti‑Terrorism Act (ATA).

A day later, AJK authorities launched a crackdown on the JAAC, arresting dozens of its leaders and later placing 147 of its activists on the Fourth Schedule of the ATA.

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