JAAC Strike Paralyzes Muzaffarabad as AJK Government Pursues Legal Action Against Leaders
The Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), a newly proscribed group in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, observed a strike on Tuesday that shut down markets and traffic in Muzaffarabad, though no major demonstrations occurred in the capital. The strike centers on JAAC's demand to abolish 12 reserved legislative seats for refugees from Indian-occupied Kashmir, which the government says is a constitutional matter. AJK Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore has called for negotiations while the government has initiated sedition proceedings against two JAAC leaders.
Shops and markets remained largely closed across Muzaffarabad, the capital of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, on Tuesday as the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) conducted a strike following its recent proscription under anti-terror laws. While the city's streets were largely deserted with minimal vehicular traffic and heavy security presence, no significant demonstrations materialized in the capital itself, though reports indicated large gatherings in Mirpur's Quaid-i-Azam stadium and rallies heading toward Poonch district from Kotli. The strike was called to protest the government's refusal to abolish 12 legislative assembly seats reserved for refugees who settled in mainland Pakistan after 1947, which JAAC claims are used by mainstream Pakistani parties to influence AJK governance. Simultaneously, the AJK government has ordered sedition proceedings against JAAC leaders Shaukat Nawaz Mir and Mehran Arshad Khawaja, accusing them of sedition through speeches and media. AJK Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore has publicly urged both sides to return to negotiations, arguing that political activism requires debate and reasoning rather than confrontation.
What's missing
The specific constitutional basis for the reserved seats and their historical rationale are not detailed. The exact nature of JAAC's proscription and the legal grounds cited under anti-terror laws are not fully explained. The current composition and influence of these reserved seats in recent AJK governments is not quantified.
What different sources said
- DawnCenter
JAAC strike: Markets, streets deserted in AJK's Muzaffarabad but no demonstrations held
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