AJK Government Bans JAAC, Warns of Legal Action Over June 9 Protest Plans

The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government has formally declared the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) a banned organisation, placing it on the First Schedule of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Anti-Terrorism Act 2014 — a significant legal escalation in the ongoing standoff between the authorities and the protest movement.

The AJK Home Department issued an official notification confirming that organisations operating under the names “Jammu Kashmir Action Committee” and “Joint Awami Action Committee” have been listed as proscribed entities under the region’s anti-terrorism legislation. The notification states that the decision carries the formal approval of the President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

According to the notification, authorities concluded that sufficient grounds exist to establish the organisation’s involvement in activities threatening peace and public safety — including inciting civil unrest, disturbing law and order, spreading public fear, and promoting hatred against state institutions. The government also accused the group of attempting to destabilise the region.

Under Section 12 of the Anti-Terrorism Act 2014, the ban extends to all alternative names under which the organisation may seek to continue operating, a measure the Home Department described as necessary to prevent reconstitution under a different title.

Copies of the formal notification have been distributed to a wide network of federal and provincial authorities, including the Ministry of Interior, the offices of the President and Prime Minister of AJK, the Chief Secretary, and divisional administrations in Muzaffarabad, Poonch, and Mirpur. District-level enforcement directives were also issued to all Deputy Commissioners, Senior Superintendents of Police, the Counter Terrorism Department, and Special Branch units across the region.

The ban follows a series of escalating warnings from the AJK government directed at JAAC in the lead-up to a planned protest activity on June 9. An AJK government spokesperson accused the committee of choosing confrontation over dialogue, stating that the group had opted for pressure-based street politics rather than constructive engagement. The spokesperson made clear that peaceful protest remains a democratic right but drew a firm line against obstruction:

The spokesperson further warned that any effort to disrupt law and order or create chaos in the name of agitation would invite legal action, adding that Azad Kashmir requires stability, dialogue, and practical solutions rather than prolonged protest politics.

On the question of the June 9 electoral activity, the government cautioned that obstructing the process would not serve public rights but would instead undermine democratic procedures. Citizens, the spokesperson said, should place their trust in voting, dialogue, and constitutional mechanisms rather than pressure tactics.

Alongside the ban, authorities separately ordered an internet and mobile service shutdown in AJK, a measure that has drawn additional attention to the government’s hardening posture toward the protest movement. Authorities maintained that all decisions taken are aimed at ensuring law and order, public safety, and state stability, asserting that no organisation would be permitted to threaten peace or security in the region.