AJK Government Vows Strict Action Against Banned Action Committee

Muzaffarabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Chief Secretary Khushhal Khan and Inspector General (IG) of Police Captain (Retd.) Liaqat Ali Malik held a special joint press conference in Muzaffarabad to brief the public on the current law-and-order situation and the government’s response to recent developments.

Chief Secretary Khushhal Khan stated that maintaining the electricity tariff at around PKR 2.75 per unit could result in annual losses of PKR 8–10 billion. He added that heavy subsidies on flour and electricity have significantly increased government expenditures and financial pressure. According to him, keeping flour prices lower than those in neighboring regions created negative market trends, forcing both the Government of Pakistan and the AJK Government to allocate approximately PKR 20–25 billion from other essential budgetary needs to sustain the subsidies.

He alleged that leaders of the banned Joint Action Committee were now facing the consequences of the violence and deaths linked to their movement and emphasized that there would be no blanket amnesty. He said the era of political blackmail was over and that a new phase of peaceful, civilized, and logical dialogue had begun.

The Chief Secretary maintained that the committee’s leadership bore responsibility for violence and fatalities and that legal action was now inevitable. He accused the group of becoming frustrated by negotiations and mediation efforts and claimed that, fearing failure, its leaders had become divided among themselves.

He further alleged that the banned committee was using women and children as human shields to evade legal accountability. He said the government had offered multiple constitutional options to address the issue of 12 reserved seats, including an All Parties Conference, a legislative assembly session, and judicial remedies. However, he claimed the committee expanded its demands from two to 38 and later added more demands.

Khushhal Khan stated that despite the government’s appeals for restraint during the holy month of Muharram, these appeals were ignored. He described road blockades and violent activities as unacceptable, noting that trees had been cut down to obstruct highways. Restoring all transportation routes, he said, remained a government priority to ensure the uninterrupted supply of essential goods, particularly for residents living near the Line of Control.

He also alleged that members of the banned committee had stopped and burned supply trucks in several areas, while in Rawalakot an attempt was made to hijack trucks carrying relief goods, which were later recovered by law-enforcement agencies. The Chief Secretary presented a comparative analysis of flour and electricity prices, claiming that subsidies in AJK are higher than those in Pakistan.

He further alleged that overseas supporters of the committee were chanting anti-Pakistan and anti-military slogans and seeking assistance from India. Protests and slogans outside Pakistani embassies, he said, were a matter of concern. He reiterated that the state would continue protecting citizens’ rights while maintaining peace and stability through constitutional and legal means, stressing that negotiations would never take place at gunpoint.

The Chief Secretary accused certain leaders of working on behalf of hostile forces and said law-enforcement agencies would continue taking indiscriminate action against such elements.

Speaking on the occasion, IG Police Captain (Retd.) Liaqat Ali Malik said that during a routine checkpoint inspection on June 5, individuals associated with the banned committee allegedly opened indiscriminate fire from a vehicle. He claimed one activist was killed, the group’s leader Umar Nazir was injured, and two police personnel were wounded in the incident.

The IG said post-mortem findings indicated that the committee’s driver had been shot in the back of the neck, suggesting that the fatal bullet may have been fired from inside the vehicle by one of its occupants, contrary to allegations made against state institutions.

He further alleged that activists attacked the Combined Military Hospital (CMH), brutally assaulted three police officers assigned to security duties, and fatally stabbed them. Patients and medical staff were also reportedly subjected to violence.

According to the IG, after security forces regained control of the hospital, law-enforcement personnel came under fire during a flag march. He warned that anti-state activities would not be tolerated and that the writ of the state would be maintained at all costs.

The police chief also alleged that women and children were being used as human shields and that reports had been received of weapons being concealed under burqas, prompting security agencies to remain on high alert. He condemned attempts to incite state employees and military personnel against the state.

Describing the movement as “not a long march but an organized mobilization,” the IG concluded by stating that individuals who surrendered unconditionally would be treated fairly under the law.