Opposition delegation blames police for refusing entery into AJK to join Rawalakot sit-in

ISLAMABAD: A high-level delegation of the Tehreek Tahaffuz-e-Ayeen Pakistan (TTAP), led by National Assembly Opposition Leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai, was stopped by police in Kahuta on Monday while travelling to Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) to express solidarity with protesters participating in an ongoing sit-in in Rawalakot, the alliance said.

Earlier in the day, TTAP had announced that its delegation would visit Rawalakot to support the sit-in organised by the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) and back what it described as public demands rooted in democratic freedoms, constitutional supremacy and the protection of citizens' rights.

The delegation included Senate Opposition Leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, TTAP spokesperson Hussain Ahmad Yousafzai and Khalid Yousaf Chaudhry, counsel for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan.

According to the alliance, the delegation planned to meet JAAC leaders and address participants at the sit-in, reaffirming its commitment to the Constitution, democracy and public rights.

In a later statement, TTAP said police intercepted the delegation in Kahuta before it could enter AJK.

The spokesperson said members of the delegation asked police under what legal authority they were being prevented from proceeding. According to TTAP, police officials replied that they were acting on instructions from their senior officers.

The alliance maintained that peaceful political activity and the right to express solidarity could not be curtailed through the use of force. It alleged that preventing the delegation from travelling without a written order or legal justification amounted to a violation of fundamental rights.

TTAP said the delegation had been travelling peacefully to express solidarity with the people of AJK and described the move to stop it as an attempt to restrict political freedoms.