The government of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) has announced a reward of Rs10 million for information leading to the arrest of four leaders of the now-proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), as clashes between protesters and law enforcement left several people dead in Kotli amid a region-wide shutter-down strike.
A notification issued by the AJK president’s office named Shaukat Nawaz Mir, Umar Nazir Kashmiri, Khawaja Mehran Arshad and Sardar Aman Khan as the wanted men.
The government also ordered sedition proceedings against two of Mir and Khawaja, directing Mirpur and Muzaffarabad SSPs to register cases and submit charge-sheets after completing investigations. The AJK Home Department accused both men of committing sedition through speeches, written material, videos and audio content.
The most intense clashes took place in Kotli city, after a procession arrived from Khuiratta tehsil. Members of the AJK cabinet, speaking to a private media outlet on condition of anonymity, said that several people were killed including a doctor and a woman, with scores more wounded.
The doctor was reportedly struck by a stray bullet while on the roof of his home. In Pind Sabharwal village on the outskirts of Mirpur, two policemen and some protesters were also injured in a separate clash.
Protests broke out across Mirpur division comprising Mirpur, Bhimber and Kotli districts as JAAC supporters took out rallies as part of a planned long march toward Muzaffarabad.
All cities, towns and villages across AJK observed a complete shutter-down strike, with banks, medical stores and restaurants closed and transport off the roads. Internet and mobile data services remained suspended across the region. In Muzaffarabad, riot police took positions outside government buildings and main thoroughfares, though the capital remained calm.
The AJK legal fraternity boycotted judicial proceedings on a call by the AJK Bar Council, protesting the alleged arrest of senior lawyer Amjad Ali Khan, a core member of JAAC.
Law enforcement agencies also arrested five suspects in an intelligence-based operation, recovering laptops, mobile phones and communication devices. Investigators said that interrogation of one detainee led to the recovery of seven automatic weapons, multiple grenades and other military hardware and that evidence pointed to alleged contact with hostile foreign intelligence agencies.
AJK Prime Minister (PM) Faisal Mumtaz Rathore called on protesters to return to the negotiating table. “Please come back to the negotiating table. I’m requesting everyone on daily basis to resolve matters through discussions instead of fire and blood,” he wrote on X, adding that “abusive comments, constant threats and senseless agitation” were not helping anyone.
Amnesty International called on authorities to immediately deescalate, expressing concern over the internet shutdown, mass arrests and use of deadly force. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said it was deeply concerned by the escalating confrontation and the loss of life on both sides.
