AJK withdraws controversial ordinance

Long march continues unabated as protestors reach Kohala entry point

MUZAFFARABAD:

Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) President Sultan Mehmood Chaudhry instructed the government on Saturday to withdraw the controversial presidential ordinance that sparked widespread protests in the region.

In a letter to AJK Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq, the president directed the government to release all individuals detained under the "Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Ordinance, 2024".

According to a statement, the AJK government initiated immediate action to comply with his instructions.

The move comes after the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) launched long marches towards AJK's entry points, protesting the contentious presidential ordinance.

On Saturday, convoys from Rawalakot, Bagh, and Dheer Kot reached the Kohala entry point. Participants staged a sit-in on the bridge connecting Pakistan with Azad Kashmir. Thousands of protesters, braving the harsh cold, gathered at the entry point.

In Muzaffarabad, the public action committee's long march reached Bararkot. A large number of protesters gathered at the point connecting Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Kashmir, staging a sit-in.

The JAAC, a coalition of civil society activists advocating for regional rights, has been protesting the ordinance. The ordinance was suspended by the AJK Supreme Court earlier this week.

However, Shaukat Nawaz Mir, a core committee member of JAAC, said that the strike would continue unless the government formally repeals the ordinance and releases detained activists.

Mir also mentioned that further negotiations would take place on Sunday (today), and the committee would call for a "siege" of the regional legislative assembly.

Meanwhile, AJK Information Minister Pir Mazhar Saeed claimed that the government had released all detainees. He also insisted that the negotiations regarding the ordinance had not failed.