ISLAMABAD: Police in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) said on Saturday they had arrested 72 people linked to a banned protest group during a security crackdown, alleging some detainees possessed weapons, suspicious documents and material aimed at disrupting public order.
The arrests come weeks before legislative elections in AJK amid renewed tensions surrounding the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), a protest movement that has led demonstrations over economic grievances, governance reforms and political issues in the region.
“During operations carried out in accordance with the law over the last 18 hours, approximately 72 individuals associated with the banned Joint Awami Action Committee have been arrested,” AJK police said in a statement.
Police said some of those detained were found with weapons, communication devices, suspicious documents and material related to organizing protests and violent activities. Authorities also claimed to have recovered evidence suggesting contacts with foreign individuals, adding that investigations were continuing.
The arrests mark a significant escalation in the authorities’ response to JAAC, which emerged as a leading protest movement in AJK through campaigns against high electricity costs, wheat prices and government privileges before expanding its demands to include broader political and governance reforms.
The development comes after JAAC said one protester was killed and another core member of the group was injured in Rawalakot, the capital of Poonch district, during the recent unrest in the area.
According to the police, preliminary findings after the arrests suggested that some elements were planning to disrupt public order, influence the electoral process, damage public and private property and incite hostility against state institutions through what the statement described as unconstitutional and violent agitation.
JAAC has called for a region-wide shutter-down and wheel-jam strike beginning at midnight.
The latest crackdown comes as political activity intensifies ahead of the polls, with authorities emphasizing the need to maintain security and public order during the election period.
The AJK government formally declared JAAC a proscribed organization on June 5, placing it in the First Schedule of the AJK Anti-Terrorism Act, 2014.
