{"id":127283,"date":"2026-06-09T18:40:59","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T13:40:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/?p=127283"},"modified":"2026-06-09T18:41:00","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T13:41:00","slug":"jaac-strike-markets-streets-deserted-in-ajks-muzaffarabad-but-no-demonstrations-held","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/2026\/127283\/","title":{"rendered":"JAAC strike: Markets, streets deserted in AJK’s Muzaffarabad but no demonstrations held"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

MUZAFFARABAD(National Times)- Shops and markets were largely shut and vehicular traffic remained minimal in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), on Tuesday as the\u00a0newly proscribed<\/a>\u00a0Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) observed a strike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, AJK Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore urged a return to the negotiating table in a bid to end the tensions that have gripped the region over the past few days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the day, Muzaffarabad\u2019s streets were deserted, with hardly any vehicles on the roads. Riot police and paramilitary personnel remained deployed in the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, no demonstrations were witnessed in the capital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, reports from Mirpur said that hundreds of people had gathered in the town\u2019s Quaid-i-Azam stadium. \u201cShops are closed here and traffic is off the roads,\u201d local journalist Sajjad Jarral told Dawn<\/em> by telephone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Witnesses in Kotli said that while the area observed a complete shutter-down and wheel-jam strike, hundreds of people led by JAAC core member Imtiaz Aslam were heading towards Poonch district via Tatta Pani.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another big rally led by JAAC core member Khawaja Mehran from Dadyal also entered Kotli for onward march towards Poonch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The legal fraternity of AJK boycotted judicial proceedings on AJK Bar Council\u2019s call to protest the alleged arrest of senior lawyer Amjad Ali Khan, a core member of the JAAC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JAAC\u2019s protest call for today centred on a highly contentious demand to abolish the 12 seats in the region\u2019s Legislative Assembly<\/u><\/a> that are reserved for refugees from Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir who settled in mainland Pakistan after 1947. JAAC alleges that these seats were often used by mainstream Pakistani political parties to influence the formation of governments in Muzaffarabad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government, on the other hand, maintains<\/a> that it is a constitutional matter and cannot be decided by one group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>\u2018Find a way out through talks\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In a post on X, the AJK premier reiterated his call for the issue to be resolved through talks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPlease come back to the negotiating table. I\u2019m requesting everyone on daily basis to resolve matters through discussions instead of fire and blood,\u201d Rathore wrote on X.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the protesters\u2019 \u201cabusive comments, constant threats and senseless agitation\u201d were not helpful to anyone in AJK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA political activist without the ability to debate and negotiate is like a pilot without the ability to fly an airplane. They both end up causing hurt and damage to people behind them,\u201d the PPP leader remarked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEveryone recognises your rights and liberties,\u201d the AJK PM assured, stressing that both sides needed to \u201cremain calm and find a way out through talks\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe only weapon a political activist carries is his reasoning and negotiation skills,\u201d Rathore said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an interview he shared on X, Rathore noted that the PPP, PML-N and the JAAC had their own stances on the issue of reserved seats for refugees, but he emphasised there was \u201cspace for a path forward\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He remarked that protests by the JAAC could not secure a two-thirds majority in the assembly that was needed for a constitutional amendment, under which changes to refugee seats could be made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>HRCP expresses concern over \u2018escalating confrontation\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Separately, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) said it was \u201cdeeply concerned by the escalating confrontation\u201d in AJK and the loss of life among both protesters and law enforcement personnel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It urged an \u201cimmediate de-escalation of tensions and an impartial investigation into all deaths and injuries\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe state must remember that proscribing popular movements invariably risks narrowing democratic space. Demands for constitutional change should be pursued through peaceful, representative and democratic processes rather than confrontation and violence,\u201d the HRCP stressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The HRCP had previously also expressed<\/a> concern over the proscribing of JAAC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Friday, the AJK government declared JAAC a proscribed<\/u><\/a> organisation, stating that it was \u201cengaged in terrorism\u201d and had acted in a manner \u201cprejudicial to peace and security\u201d of the state. A day later, AJK authorities launched a crackdown<\/a> on the JAAC, arresting scores of its leaders and activists from different areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But tensions in the region particularly flared up after a violent protest in Rawalakot, during which at least four law enforcement personnel and seven civilians<\/a> lost their lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Islamabad has also dispatched<\/a> federal paramilitary forces to reinforce the region\u2019s thinly stretched police force, and intending visitors have been advised<\/a> to postpone their trips until June 20.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MUZAFFARABAD(National Times)- Shops and markets were largely shut and vehicular traffic remained minimal in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), on Tuesday as the\u00a0newly proscribed\u00a0Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) observed a strike. Meanwhile, AJK Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore urged a return to the negotiating table in a bid to end the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":127284,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-127283","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest_news","entry"],"yoast_head":"\nJAAC strike: Markets, streets deserted in AJK's Muzaffarabad but no demonstrations held - Nation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/2026\/127283\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"JAAC strike: Markets, streets deserted in AJK's Muzaffarabad but no demonstrations held - Nation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"MUZAFFARABAD(National Times)- Shops and markets were largely shut and vehicular traffic remained minimal in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), on Tuesday as the\u00a0newly proscribed\u00a0Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) observed a strike. 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