A shutter-down and wheel-jam strike is underway across Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Monday, following a call by the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC). The JAAC had issued a deadline of September 29 to the AJK government to accept 38 demands.
As the deadline passed without any resolution, the JAAC has launched protest rallies today.
Markets, transport services, and commercial centers across AJK remain shut, while most classrooms in open schools are empty.
The region’s communication system has also been severely affected. For the second consecutive day, mobile and internet services remain suspended, and landline services have also been cut off, effectively isolating citizens from the outside world.
What are the Public Action Committee’s demands?
The Joint Awami Action Committee, formed by public representatives and traders from all districts of AJK, has presented a 38-point charter of demands. Key points include:
- Abolishing 12 reserved assembly seats for refugees
- Ending privileges granted to the ruling elite
- Ending the elite’s perks and addressing the exploitation by mobile companies
- Abolishing assembly seats designated for refugees settled in Pakistan
- Construction of the Azad Yakeen-Ta Suddhanoti road
- Free and equal education
- Employment for the brother of martyred protester Azhar
- Establishment of an international airport
- Crackdown on timber smuggling
- Abolishing the refugee job quota system
- Elimination of the overall quota system in AJK
- Access to clean drinking water and irrigation water for agriculture
- Resolution of the issue of commercial electricity bills exceeding 5kVA
- Construction of the AJK Expressway
- Implementation of laws and reforms in the power sector
- Infrastructure-related demands include: Construction of the Shohr Tunnel, Lohar Gali-Muzaffarabad Tunnel, Leepa Valley Tunnel, and roads in Jhelum Valley and Sand Mar Bhadi-Haveli Pal
آزاد کشمیر میں تا حال انتہائ کشیدگی ۔۔ انٹرنیٹ سروس بھی بند کر دی گئ pic.twitter.com/cPH5hP179g
— Noshi Gilani (@noshigilani) May 10, 2024
Government’s response and talks
Prior to the strike call, the AJK government formed a negotiation team, and representatives from the federal government, including envoys of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, also met with JAAC leaders.
However, talks between the government and JAAC collapsed on September 25. Federal ministers Tariq Fazal Chaudhry and Amir Muqam said that Islamabad had accepted most of the demands related to flour prices and electricity tariffs, but those requiring constitutional amendments would need parliamentary approval.
The strike and protests have received support from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
The JAAC has also written to UN Secretary-General António Guterres and human rights organizations, demanding investigations into deaths, arrests, and alleged crackdowns during the protests in AJK.
Authorities have stated that the suspension of mobile, internet, and landline services is aimed at limiting communication during mass protests to prevent any untoward incidents.
