Muzaffarabad, July 29, 2026: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government on Tuesday accused the banned Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) of attempting to disrupt the ongoing electoral process through violence and unrest, saying authorities would take all necessary measures to maintain law and order.
Addressing a press conference in Muzaffarabad alongside AJK Police spokesperson Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Irfan Masood Kashfi, AJK Secretary Information Muhammad Rashid Hanif said the state’s foremost responsibility was to ensure public safety and the peaceful conduct of elections.
Hanif said the government had declared JAAC a proscribed organisation on June 5 under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), alleging the group’s involvement in terrorist activities.
The ban was imposed ahead of the committee’s planned June 9 protest demanding the abolition of 12 AJK Assembly seats reserved for refugees from Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) who migrated to Pakistan after 1947.
The information secretary alleged that the banned organisation included armed individuals, militants and persons linked to Fitna al-Khawarij, claiming that state institutions possessed evidence to support these allegations.
He also urged the public to remain vigilant against what he described as misleading information circulating about the protests, alleging that some elements within JAAC had used civilians as human shields during demonstrations.
Hanif said the voter turnout during the first phase of the AJK Legislative Assembly elections in Mirpur Division demonstrated that the people preferred resolving political issues through peaceful and democratic means.
DIG Kashfi said some protesters involved in recent clashes with law enforcement were carrying modern automatic weapons. He added that five police personnel, including a police officer, were injured after coming under fire during the unrest.
He appealed to citizens to cooperate with law enforcement agencies and the administration, saying public support was essential to maintaining peace and stability in the region.
Referring to a separate development, Hanif cited remarks made by Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, who on Sunday said security agencies had arrested a suspect allegedly linked to an India-based digital influence campaign targeting Pakistan.
According to the minister, investigations revealed that payments for promoting anti-Pakistan content on social media were traced to sources in India and uncovered a network of bot farms allegedly used to spread misinformation targeting Pakistan’s sovereignty, government, armed forces and state institutions.
Tarar also claimed that the suspect disclosed during interrogation that a significant portion of the online content circulated through the network was linked to the activities of the banned JAAC in AJK.
