LEEPA VALLEY, Azad Jammu and Kashmir: Residents largely ignored the Leepa Valley strike call by the Joint Awami Action Committee on Thursday, with shops open and traffic moving as normal.
A local citizen who markets remained open across the valley, and routine transport continued on roads. He said residents did not want to join confrontational politics.
The citizen said people in the valley believed Pakistan was theirs and would not support what he described as the politics of violence.
He said locals had stayed away from such politics in the past and would do so again. Residents cited economic losses as the main reason for rejecting the strike call.
Read: AJK Protests Turn Violent: 3 Police Killed in Awami Action Committee Attack
They said shutdowns hurt daily businesses and weaken the local economy. The Joint Awami Action Committee is a banned organisation.
It said the strike call had little effect in Leepa Valley, where most people continued routine commercial activity.
The report also linked the response in Leepa Valley to wider public fatigue with shutdowns in parts of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
It said residents prioritised stability, livelihoods and local business activity over protest politics.
