Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) government has officially banned the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC). The regional Home Department declared it a proscribed organization under the First Schedule of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 2014, citing that the group is engaged in terrorism and acting in a manner prejudicial to state peace and security. According to the government notification, the JAAC has been accused of creating anarchy, promoting hatred, intimidating the public, and orchestrating a sense of deep insecurity across society.
The decision to ban the group comes in the wake of its persistent avoidance of institutional dialogue and its refusal to engage with a designated implementation committee. Tensions peaked when the JAAC called for a widespread wheel-jam strike on June 9. This directly clashes with the AJK Election Commission’s announced schedule for the upcoming July 27 general elections, as June 9 marks the exact date candidates are slated to begin filing nomination papers. Authorities viewed this protest call as a deliberate tactic to disrupt the democratic process and obstruct electoral participation.
AJK generates only 60 billion PKR in local revenue against a massive budget exceeding 300 billion PKR, relying on Pakistan to shoulder a 240-250 billion PKR deficit.
A major point of contention in this crisis is the JAAC’s radical demand to abolish the 12 legislative seats and university quotas reserved for Jammu and Kashmir refugees living in Pakistan. While the JAAC alleges these seats are manipulated by mainstream Pakistani political parties to influence government formation in Muzaffarabad, the AJK Legislative Assembly has heavily defended them. These seats represent a vital, living historical and constitutional testament to the Kashmir cause, and removing them would politically silence displaced Kashmiris who remain active stakeholders in the region’s future.
Furthermore, the state has already shown immense flexibility, effectively addressing 35 out of 38 original public demands. Significant government concessions include the withdrawal of 177 FIRs, the disbursement of 70 million PKR in compensations to the families of deceased protesters, and 48 million PKR to injured individuals. Substantial relief was also delivered in administration and utility sectors, including the downsizing of the regional cabinet, the consolidation of government departments to 22, and the implementation of electricity tariff adjustments up to 5 kw alongside waived surcharges. Multi-billion infrastructure, healthcare, and water supply projects have also progressed to advanced implementation and evaluation stages.
Despite these major steps, the JAAC’s unyielding stance on its final three demands-which center on fiscal policy and constitutional mandates-is characterized as a financial fallacy and political stubbornness. The JAAC’s demand for total tax abolition, including the 75% advance income tax, ignores regional realities. AJK generates only 60 billion PKR in local revenue against a massive budget exceeding 300 billion PKR, relying on Pakistan to shoulder a 240-250 billion PKR deficit. Wiping out the advance tax regime would widen the deficit by an additional 45 billion PKR, threatening public sector salaries, health, and education infrastructure.
Ultimately, the issue represents a dangerous pivot from public welfare advocacy toward regional destabilization. By attempting to shut down markets, block candidate nominations, and disrupt daily life on June 9, the JAAC’s strategy moves away from the ballot box and constitutional forums. With paramilitary forces arriving from Islamabad to secure the territory and prevent further unrest, the state underscores that AJK’s future depends on democratic continuity, financial realism, and institutional dialogue, rather than perpetual street agitation that risks handing narrative weapons to anti-state elements. AJK Legislative Assembly has already endorsed the JAAC’s street agitation anti-democratic and anti-state. Now, It’s up to the public to judge the situation based on financial realities and concrete government actions rather than emotional slogans. People have to question whether the JAAC is truly working for public welfare or facilitating foreign players across the border that want to destabilize the region. Its time to seriously question what’s JAAC up to?
The writer is an alumnus of QAU, FUI & a freelance columnist, based in Islamabad. He can be reached at [email protected].