The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government on Thursday withdrew earlier concessions related to protest and agitation cases and reinstated 177 First Information Reports (FIRs) against members of the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), citing violation of the October 4, 2025 agreement between the two sides.
The move comes amid escalating tensions in AJK following recent deadly clashes that have generated competing narratives over casualties, governance grievances, and political legitimacy. Official sources have confirmed at least seven deaths.
Last week, the AJK government banned the JAAC, accusing the organisation of involvement in terrorism, promoting hatred, and creating anarchy in the state.
The ban followed the JAAC’s call for a protest on June 9. The organisation has previously led large-scale demonstrations demanding economic relief and political rights, with some protests ending in violence and fatalities during clashes with law enforcement in May 2024 and September 2025.
According to official statements, the government concluded that the JAAC had breached the October 2025 agreement by returning to street agitation rather than pursuing dispute resolution through the implementation committee established under the accord. As a result, all protest-related cases that had previously been withdrawn under the agreement have now been restored.
A notification issued by the Law, Justice, Parliamentary Affairs and Human Rights Department in Muzaffarabad confirmed the decision.
“Pursuant to the decision of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Cabinet, taken during its 41st meeting held on June 5, 2026, the President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir has been pleased to accord approval to withdraw the following notifications regarding cases relating to protest and agitation of the proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee before various competent criminal courts in Azad Jammu and Kashmir,” the notification stated.
The order revoked several earlier notifications issued between December 2024 and December 2025, including those dated December 7, 2024, December 15, 2025, December 26, 2025, and December 31, 2025.
It also directed relevant departments, including the police, judiciary, and administrative authorities, to implement the decision and proceed with further legal action. Officials said the move effectively reverses relief previously granted to individuals facing protest-related charges, maintaining that the agreement had been violated.
Separately, Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif Thursday urged all political parties to respect the sanctity of Parliament and ensure the smooth functioning of democratic institutions, saying political disputes should not weaken the legislature.
Speaking in the National Assembly, he said leaders of major political parties, including the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), had faced imprisonment and political hardships in the past but never compromised on the dignity of Parliament.
He said that despite facing legal and political challenges, these leaders continued to use constitutional and legal forums for protest and redress instead of disrupting institutions.