AJK President
Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) President Sultan Mehmood Chaudhry on Saturday directed the withdrawal of the controversial presidential ordinance that had sparked widespread protests across the region.
In a letter to AJK Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq, the president instructed the government to take immediate action to repeal the ordinance and release all individuals detained under the “Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Ordinance, 2024.” The AJK government has reportedly begun implementing these directives.
The protests, organized by the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), intensified after negotiations between the government and the committee broke down.
The JAAC, a coalition of civil society activists advocating for the rights of AJK citizens, initiated long marches toward the region’s entry points, demanding the repeal of the contentious ordinance and the release of their activists.
Despite the suspension of the ordinance by the AJK Supreme Court earlier this week, JAAC members, including Shaukat Nawaz Mir, insisted that the strike and protests would continue until the ordinance was formally repealed and all arrested activists were freed.
Protests have disrupted daily life in several cities, with a wheel-jam and shutter-down strike entering its third day. Markets, businesses, and shopping centers remain closed in solidarity with the demonstrators.
Protesters have blocked major entry points, including Barakot, Poonch division, Kohala, and Palandri, while staging sit-ins at critical junctions connecting AJK with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Demonstrators from Rawalakot, Bagh, and Dhirkot have also converged at Kohala’s entry point.
Information Minister Pir Mazhar Saeed claimed that the government had released all detained individuals and maintained that negotiations with the JAAC had not entirely failed.
He highlighted the formation of a diverse committee tasked with implementing recommendations to address the protesters’ concerns.
The ordinance, enacted a month ago, banned protest rallies, processions, and demonstrations, with violations punishable by up to seven years in prison.
The Supreme Court’s suspension of the ordinance on December 3 marked a significant development, yet protesters demand its formal repeal to ensure their right to peaceful assembly.
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