Rawalakot, Azad Jammu and Kashmir: JAAC protesters disperse from three sit-in sites on Rawalakot’s outskirts after fears of a major security operation, officials said Friday.
Poonch Divisional Commissioner Sardar Waheed Khan said no participants remained at the three protest sites after midnight. He said the activists had returned to their respective areas.
The dispersal came after authorities prepared a dedicated contingent of about 1,000 Rangers, Federal Constabulary, Islamabad police and Azad Jammu and Kashmir police personnel. Officials described this force as prepared for “decisive action.”
Khan said security forces also staged a flag march in Rawalakot with 70 to 80 armoured and other vehicles. He said the move triggered “chaos and panic” among members of the proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee.
The regional administration and JAAC have been at odds over several demands. Notably, the committee has called for the abolition of 12 AJK Legislative Assembly seats reserved for refugees from Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. These refugees had settled in mainland Pakistan after 1947.
Khan said officials had directed deputy commissioners to raid the homes of activists named in first information reports.
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He added that authorities had blocked the computerised national identity cards of 31 JAAC core members and then their passports.
Rawalakot observed a shutter-down strike for a third consecutive day on Thursday. A clash with law enforcement personnel on the city’s outskirts killed one JAAC participant and injured four others.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif told the National Assembly on Thursday that JAAC should let the people of AJK decide the issue of the 12 refugee seats.
