AJK information secretary says 7 law enforcement personnel martyred in recent unrest

Azad Jammu and Kashmir's (AJK) Information Secretary Muhammad Rashid Hanif reported on Monday that seven law enforcement personnel, including police and Rangers, were killed during recent unrest in the region. The Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), which has been rallying against the retention of 12 refugee seats in the local legislature, has been organizing protests for several weeks.

Clashes erupted in Rawalakot and Mirpur, resulting in casualties. Hanif emphasized that the JAAC was hiding armed individuals and seeking to destabilize the region. He dismissed allegations of unprovoked firing and body withholding by JAAC, stating that the government had not yet received bodies. The AJK government rejected a BBC report on the Rawalakot clashes as biased and lacking verification.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting also criticized Al Jazeera's coverage of the elections in Muzaffarabad, alleging selective reporting. Tensions between the regional administration and the JAAC have been ongoing, mainly due to the committee's demands for abolishing the 12 reserved seats. On June 5, the AJK government labeled the JAAC as a proscribed organization and launched a crackdown, arresting many leaders and placing 147 activists under the First Schedule of the anti-terrorism act.