AJK police chief urges diaspora to rely on official sources amid ‘hybrid warfare’ concerns

• IGP rejects reports of closure of AJK entry points, says all routes remain open

• Urges to guard against disinformation and AI-generated content, accusing proscribed JAAC of blocking roads, targeting goods vehicles

• Partial shutdown observed in Muzaffarabad, Poonch divisions amid ongoing strike

 MUZAFFARABAD: Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Inspector General of Police Capt (r) Liaqat Ali Malik on Thursday urged overseas Pakistanis, particularly members of the Kashmiri diaspora in the United Kingdom and Europe, to verify information through official government media and social media platforms, stressing the need to rely on authentic sources amid what he described as a “hybrid warfare” environment marked by disinformation and AI-generated content.

“Citizens at home and abroad must be mindful of disinformation and AI-generated content and rely on official sources for information amid a hybrid warfare environment,” IGP Malik said while addressing a press conference.

Rejecting reports suggesting the closure of entry points into AJK, the police chief said all entry points into the region remained open to all types of traffic, including vehicles transporting essential commodities.

“All major entry points into the territory, including Kohala, Azad Pattan and Bararkot, are open for all types of traffic without any intervention, except routine security checks within police protocols,” he said.

Malik alleged that activists of the proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) had erected barriers at certain locations and attacked or snatched goods-laden trucks, adding that law-enforcement agencies were regularly clearing roads and facilitating commuters.

Referring to a recent BBC Urdu report, Malik claimed the report was based on unverified allegations and published without seeking the government’s version despite the availability of official contact channels.

“We can say that this article is far away from reality,” he said.

The IGP recalled that both he and Chief Secretary Khushal Khan had clarified during a press conference on June 23 that police were not obstructing any traffic entering AJK, including trucks carrying essential goods and public transport vehicles.

He added that the government’s position had also been disseminated through the Public Information Department’s official fact-checking platform on X and urged citizens to follow official government accounts for authentic and verified information.

Malik also called upon media organisations to verify reports relating to AJK Police with the force’s public relations office before publication or broadcast and to refrain from airing unverified videos or material circulated through anonymous social media accounts.

The press conference came amid a mixed response to the ongoing strike called by the proscribed JAAC, during which internet services remained suspended and petrol stations stayed closed under government orders.

Witnesses said a partial shutdown was observed across the Muzaffarabad and Poonch divisions, while life remained largely normal in the Mirpur division.

Long queues outside lone petrol station amid limited fuel sale

In Muzaffarabad, long queues were witnessed outside the only petrol station permitted to sell fuel in limited quantities. People carrying plastic bottles and small containers waited for hours to obtain fuel for motorcycles and generators.

Meanwhile, the government intensified action against employees accused of participating in or facilitating sit-ins organised by the proscribed outfit.

According to official notifications, three employees of the electricity department, eight teachers, a laboratory assistant and two peons from the education department, as well as two employees of a medical college, were suspended for allegedly engaging in activities deemed incompatible with government service rules.

Official sources said the government was determined to proceed against employees found supporting individuals challenging the writ of the state and warned that further disciplinary measures, including dismissal from service, could follow.

Late on Thursday night, JAAC announced that it would continue its protest campaign through what it described as peaceful sit-ins, dispelling speculation that it might launch a long march.

JAAC ban and subsequent developments

On June 5, the AJK government declared the JAAC a proscribed organisation and placed it on the First Schedule of the region’s Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA).

A day later, authorities launched a crackdown on the group, arresting scores of its leaders and subsequently placing 147 activists on the Fourth Schedule of the ATA.

The JAAC had called for widespread protests demanding the abolition of 12 seats in the region’s Legislative Assembly reserved for refugees from occupied Kashmir who settled in mainland Pakistan after 1947, ahead of the July 27 elections to the AJK Legislative Assembly.

Elections for these seats are held separately from the 33 general seats in AJK, with refugees registered in 12 constituencies across Pakistan voting for their representatives. The seats have long remained politically sensitive due to disputes over voter lists, delimitation and constitutional amendments.