Strike brings AJK to standstill, turns violent
A shutter-down and wheel-jam strike across Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Monday, called by the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC), paralysed life in major districts before escalating into violence after clashes at Neelum Bridge.
Led by JKJAAC central leader Shaukat Nawaz Mir, the strike brought Muzaffarabad, Mirpur, Poonch, Neelum, Bhimber and Palandari to a halt. Markets remained shut, roads were blocked, and internet services were restricted across much of Muzaffarabad, except areas bordering Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Landline, cellular and private internet networks were also largely suspended.
Tensions flared when activists of the Muslim Conference, holding a parallel "Aman March" in support of shopkeepers wanting to keep businesses open, confronted JKJAAC protesters at Neelum Bridge. Muslim Conference supporters, including party leader Raja Saqib Majeed and his brother, allegedly opened fire on demonstrators.
"The incident, captured in viral social media footage, clearly shows the persons shooting at the crowd," journalist Farhan Ahmed Khan said. Four protesters were injured; one of them, Sudheer, later died in hospital.
In the evening, nearly 5,000 people gathered at Lal Chowk, where Shaukat Nawaz Mir delivered a fiery 17-minute speech.
He condemned the firing, accused the authorities of trying to stage "another May 9" through their "touts", and insisted JKJAAC harboured no hostility toward state institutions or the Pakistan Army.
Mir announced that a protest would be held with Sudheer's body at Chehlabandi on Neelum Road, demanding an FIR and post-mortem, neither of which had been completed.
He also called for further demonstrations at Lal Chowk on Tuesday afternoon. "Fake footages are being aired to suggest everything is normal," he alleged, vowing to continue protests until demands are met.
Wider protests
Protests spread beyond Muzaffarabad, with thousands rallying in sensitive areas across AJK under leaders including Sardar Aman Khan.
Roads were blocked and towns paralysed. In the UK, demonstrations were held in London and Bradford, where Raja Amjad Ali Khan addressed the Pakistani consulate.
"We have no quarrel with any institution or the Army," Raja Amjad Ali said. "Branding protesters as traitors only serves Pakistan's enemies. This movement includes all schools of thought and seeks only the rights of the people."
Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs Ameer Muqam urged dialogue, recalling that he and Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry had tried to negotiate with JKJAAC days earlier.
Talks failed, he said, as demands related to reforms of 12 Pakistan-based AJK assembly seats and privileges for officials required constitutional amendments.
The AJK government has yet to issue an official statement. Reports of firing on ambulances were denied. JKJAAC maintained that baton-wielding protesters symbolised the peaceful nature of their movement.
Meanwhile, law enforcement agencies said they had begun legal action against those involved in vandalism and rioting.
"No one will be allowed to disrupt daily life for their malicious agendas," security officials said, vowing "strict legal action against anyone damaging public property or inciting unrest".