Partial strike continues in AJK as JAAC sit-ins persist near Rawalakot

MUZAFFARABAD: Sit-ins by activists and supporters of the proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) remained underway on the outskirts of Rawalakot for a fourth straight day on Saturday, while a partial shutter-down strike continued in parts of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

No untoward incident had been reported until evening. However, the disruption of mobile phone services in Rawalakot after 8:30pm made it difficult to verify the latest developments from the town.

Witnesses said participants gathered at Eidgah Ground had dispersed during heavy rain in the early hours of Saturday to use nearby facilities and have breakfast at their own homes or with local hosts, as they had done a day earlier. They added that around 400 young men stayed at the venue to prevent law enforcement personnel from taking control of the ground. After 5pm, protesters began returning and the crowd grew steadily. A sizeable number of women also remained at the site until sunset, according to witnesses, who said JAAC core members were expected to address the gathering later in the night.

Elsewhere in AJK, most towns in Muzaffarabad Division and other areas observed a shutdown, while public transport remained suspended for the fifth consecutive day. There were also reports of partial strikes in Mirpur Division.

Crackdown and internet suspension

The administration had intensified action against key JAAC activists and supporters by taking over the businesses of several of them across the territory. In Muzaffarabad, police also raided and allegedly damaged a men’s hostel while trying to arrest its owner, Sohaib Javed, who was identified as a key JAAC member, but he was not found there.

Internet services remained suspended for an eighth day, drawing complaints from residents, especially students and freelancers, who said the outage was affecting their studies and livelihoods. A student from Muzaffarabad, Ryan Khan, described having to travel outside the region to complete online work.

“Yesterday, I had to travel to Garhi Habibullah in neighbouring Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to submit some documents online, and there I saw dozens of other students and citizens who had arrived from Muzaffarabad to use the internet for various urgent purposes,” said Ryan Khan, a student from the region’s capital.

“Not everyone can afford to travel outside their towns, so I urge the authorities not to ruin our future and to restore internet services without further ado,” he added.

Yaqoob Khan urges end to agitation

Former AJK president and prime minister Sardar Yaqoob Khan on Saturday repeated his appeal to JAAC leaders to end their protest unconditionally as a goodwill step. Speaking to Dawn, the senior Pakistan Peoples Party leader from the Sudhan tribe said he was deeply troubled by the situation. “My heart bleeds because my home is burning,” said Mr Khan, a senior PPP leader from the influential Sudhan tribe.

He said politics required respect for opponents as well as flexibility and harmony, and argued there should be no room for rigid confrontation. Mr Khan said he had recently invited several senior leaders from mainstream political parties to his residence to explore an amicable way out of the deadlock, where he stressed the need to rise above party loyalties to strengthen the state and its relationship with Pakistan.

He also urged JAAC members to avoid what he called emotionalism and melodrama and to recognise the sensitivity of the situation. He said senior PPP leaders in AJK would meet in Islamabad on Sunday, after which they would hold a press conference.