AJK govt issues travel advisory ahead of JAAC protest, asks visitors to leave

Lead

The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government has declared the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) a proscribed organisation and ordered visitors to leave the region ahead of a major protest planned for June 9. The travel advisory, effective from June 5 to June 20, comes as the government deploys federal paramilitary forces to reinforce the region's police, with tensions high following recent clashes that left at least four policemen and seven protesters dead.

Coverage Comparison

News of the proscription and travel advisory was reported by Dawn, which noted that the AJK Home Department placed the JAAC under the First Schedule of the region's Anti-Terrorism Act 2014, accusing the group of engaging in terrorism and acting in a manner prejudicial to peace and security. Dawn also reported that the government urged "current visitors to leave immediately" to avoid any unpleasant situation, as stated in an official press release from the region's Press Information Department.

In a separate report, Dawn quoted AJK Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore as saying his government had made sincere efforts to implement an agreement reached with the JAAC following last year's protest movement, and that "almost all demands" in the group's charter had been fulfilled except for the abolition of refugee seats, which he described as a constitutional matter requiring broad consensus.

Meanwhile, PML-N President Nawaz Sharif expressed concern over the political situation in AJK, urging protesters to end sit-ins and demonstrations and engage in meaningful dialogue. According to Dawn, Sharif said at a meeting in Lahore that the people of AJK enjoy full civil liberties and democratic rights under the Interim Constitution Act of 1974, and that any movement for public rights should be conducted within the constitutional framework.

Coverage also compared the situation in AJK to that in Gilgit-Baltistan, where the electoral process concluded peacefully despite initial concerns. Dawn editorialised that Kashmir had emerged as a "poorly managed case" in which dialogue was suspended and the state relied on coercive measures.

Key Claims

The JAAC has been proscribed by the AJK government, which placed the group under the First Schedule of the Anti-Terrorism Act 2014. The government's notification said the group is "engaged in terrorism" and involved in "creating anarchy in the state."

A trader affiliated with the JAAC was reportedly shot in an altercation with law-enforcers on Saturday. The following day, protesters and law enforcement agencies clashed outside a Rawalakot hospital, resulting in the deaths of at least four policemen and seven protesters.

The JAAC has called for a major strike on June 9. The group's protest centres on a demand to abolish the 12 seats in the AJK Legislative Assembly reserved for refugees from Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir who settled in mainland Pakistan after 1947. The JAAC alleges these seats are frequently used by mainstream political parties to influence the formation of governments in Muzaffarabad.

The AJK government has urged outsiders to avoid travelling to the region and asked current visitors to leave immediately, citing the need to save visitors from "any unexpected situation."

The electoral process in Gilgit-Baltistan has concluded peacefully, in contrast to developments in AJK, which are described as concerning.

Nawaz Sharif expressed concern over the situation and urged protesters to end sit-ins and engage in dialogue. He stressed that PML-N has always maintained a clear and principled stance on the Kashmir issue.

The AJK Supreme Court, in its opinion on a presidential reference, validated the government's position and rejected the politics of street protests.

Perspectives

AJK Government

The AJK government, led by Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore, says it is making every effort to prevent the JAAC from taking to the streets and has had "very productive discussions" with the action committee. Rathore stated that the issue of abolishing refugee seats is a constitutional matter that cannot be decided by a single party alone, and that the government has fulfilled almost all demands in the JAAC's charter. The government's proscription of the JAAC is based on the group's alleged involvement in terrorism and activities prejudicial to peace.

PML-N (Nawaz Sharif)

Nawaz Sharif, president of the PML-N, expressed concern over the political situation in AJK and urged protesters to end sit-ins and demonstrations. He called for meaningful dialogue and emphasised that the people of AJK enjoy full civil liberties and democratic rights under the Interim Constitution Act. He also reiterated the party's clear stance on the Kashmir issue and stressed that any movement for public rights should be conducted within the constitutional framework.

JAAC

While no official statement from the JAAC was included in the coverage, the group has called for a strike on June 9, demanding the abolition of 12 refugee seats in the AJK Legislative Assembly. The JAAC alleges that these seats are used by mainstream parties to influence government formation in Muzaffarabad, and the group has previously led mass demonstrations over economic grievances and political rights that turned deadly in past clashes with law enforcement.