AJK police arrests JAAC leader Shaukat Nawaz Mir amid sit-in
Head of the banned Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) Shaukat Nawaz Mir. SCREENGRAB/ Youtube
Shaukat Nawaz Mir, head of the recently proscribed Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), was arrested in Azad Jammu and Kashmir's Dhirkot area on Tuesday, according to an official.
The situation in AJK remains tense after the government banned the JAAC, with the group continuing its sit-in and vowing to sustain the protest until its "legitimate demands" are met.
Muzaffarabad Deputy Commissioner (DC) Munir Qureshi confirmed Mir's detention while speaking to The Express Tribune.
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DC Qureshi said Mir was arrested in Dhirkot during a joint operation carried out by the district administration and police based on intelligence information.
Following the arrest, the JAAC also confirmed Mir's detention in a statement, saying fellow member Saib Javed had also been arrested. It described the two as campaigners for "the people's rights, justice and a better future".
https://x.com/JAAC__Official/status/2071977411562860673
The group alleged that Mir was arrested while attempting to reach an ongoing sit-in, claiming that a combing operation involving intelligence agencies, police, and other institutions led to his detention before he could join the protest.
In a separate statement, the JAAC said Mir's presence at the sit-in would have significantly boosted the morale of participants, but insisted that the arrest of a single leader would not weaken the movement.
"One voice can be suppressed, but not resolve. One person can be arrested, but not the movement," it added.
https://x.com/JAAC__Official/status/2071977305035956460
The JAAC said Mir was not alone and claimed the entire nation stood with him, expressing confidence that "victory will be for justice".
Urging supporters not to lose heart, the group said public movements did not depend on any single individual.
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"This is not just Shaukat Nawaz Mir's movement, nor solely that of the core members. This is the movement of the entire public," the statement said.
The JAAC added that arrests, raids, imprisonment, and sacrifices had historically been part of public movements, expressing confidence that Mir would soon return to the people.
Until then, it said, the public would remain "his voice" and carry forward his mission, adding that the movement would emerge stronger despite the arrest and that "ultimately, victory will belong to the people and defeat to tyranny, arrogance and the exploitative system."
Background
The recent unrest and deadly clashes broke out in areas, including Rawalakot, where the JAAC had been holding a sit-in outside the Combined Military Hospital Rawalakot. AJK police allege that armed JAAC members opened fire on deployed law enforcement in a planned attack, leaving four personnel dead and around 20 injured. JAAC, however, disputes this account, claiming security forces used tear gas and fired shells toward the hospital.
According to the AJK police, three individuals linked to the JAAC and four law enforcement personnel were killed during the protests. JAAC, however, said in a statement on X that seven individuals were killed and dozens were injured when street firing was carried out in the dark after electricity was allegedly cut off.
The clash came as the AJK government and the JAAC witnessed a face-off, as the election date for AJK was announced for July 27.
AJK's 53-member legislative assembly includes 12 seats reserved for Kashmiri refugees — people who fled Indian-controlled Kashmir in 1947 and 1965 and are now scattered across Pakistan. Six seats represent refugees from the Jammu division (~434,000 people) and six from the Kashmir Valley (~30,000 people) — an already lopsided arrangement that many see as unfair.
The region witnessed one of its most turbulent periods in October last year when protests led by the JAAC erupted over demands for constitutional and governance reforms. At least nine people, including three policemen, were killed during the unrest.
The JAAC, which organised the protests and strike, had presented a wide-ranging charter of demands, including an end to the privileges enjoyed by the ruling elite, the abolition of 12 assembly seats reserved for refugees, and the scrapping of the quota system.
Two days after the violence, the government and the JAAC reached an agreement covering 12 core and 13 additional points. Under the accord, both sides agreed to constitute a high-level committee to examine the issue of refugee seats in the AJK Legislative Assembly