AJK remains shut for third straight day amid ongoing protests

At least one person was killed and four others injured during a confrontation between protesters and law enforcement personnel on the outskirts of Rawalakot on Thursday, as Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) marked its third consecutive day of complete shutter-down strike.

Thousands of demonstrators from multiple districts, including Mirpur, Bhimber, Kotli, Sudhnoti, and Poonch, gathered at Eidgah Ground near Rawalakot since Wednesday evening. Additional protest groups assembled at two other locations around the town.

Poonch Divisional Commissioner Sardar Waheed Khan reported that law enforcement teams were deployed early Thursday after identifying the presence of Umar Nazir Kashmiri, a core JAAC member facing sedition charges. “When attempting to clear roadblocks, protesters engaged with police, leading to an exchange of fire that left one dead and four to five injured,” he stated.

The deceased was identified as 32-year-old Sohban Arif from Gorah village in Sudhnoti district. Despite internet suspensions across AJK since the previous Friday, Kashmiri’s inflammatory speech at the gathering was streamed live on social media platforms.

Kashmiri presented a six-point proposal to authorities calling for JAAC’s proscription withdrawal, return of activist bodies and injured persons, FIR registration for civilian deaths, troop withdrawal from urban areas, and curfew lifting before negotiations. A senior official indicated authorities rejected similar concessions offered previously, reportedly conveying that JAAC must surrender before receiving relief.

The AJK Law Department recently withdrew four December notifications targeting JAAC-linked cases across regional courts, following the 41st cabinet meeting on June 5.

JAAC leader Imtiaz Aslam announced continued sit-ins until detained activists are freed, bodies returned, and anti-JAAC notifications and reward announcements are withdrawn. The group alleges authorities have not released bodies of slain activists.

Drone surveillance and flag marches accompanied heightened security measures, with officials suggesting potential decisive action against protesters.

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