Azad Jammu and Kashmir government bans Joint Awami Action Committee over security concerns

MUZAFFARABAD: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Home Department has issued a formal notification declaring the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) a proscribed organisation under the region’s anti-terrorism laws.

The notification places the JAAC, alongside its alternative title the “Jammu Kashmir Action Committee”, into the First Schedule of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Anti-Terrorism Act 2014. Approved by the AJK President, the state’s directive alleges that substantial evidence links the group to activities that threaten public safety, incite communal hatred, and disrupt regional law and order.

To prevent the alliance from circumventing the restriction, the Home Department has banned all alternative names and spin-off entities associated with the committee. Official copies of the decree have been forwarded to the federal Ministry of Interior in Islamabad, as well as to regional administrative, counter-terrorism, and intelligence heads across the Muzaffarabad, Poonch, and Mirpur divisions.

The security clampdown follows a stern warning from an AJK government spokesperson, who accused the JAAC of abandoning constructive dialogue in favour of hostile street politics. The administration stated that any attempts to paralyse public life, block transit routes, or disrupt the upcoming electoral process on June 9 will face immediate legal action.