MUZAFFARABAD (Kashmir English): The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government has launched a crackdown against leaders and members of the proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), placing 154 individuals on the Fourth Schedule.
According to the separate notifications issued by the AJK Home Department on Thursday, the “President, based on recommendations received from the Central Police Office, has approved the placement of the following individuals on the Fourth Schedule, who are activists of the Jammu & Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JK-JAAC).”
With the placement on the Fourth Schedule, they will be subjected to enhanced monitoring and legal restrictions under relevant laws. Passports, bank accounts, identity cards, and other official documentation of these individuals have also been frozen.
The individual includes core members Shaukat Nawaz Mir, Raja Ghulam Mujtaba Banday, Umar Nazir Kashmiri, Anjum Zaman Awan, Imtiaz Aslam, Ghulam Mujtaba, Amman Khan, Khawaja Mehran Arshad, Raja Amjid Ali Khan, Raja Sohaib Javed,
The action comes as part of an ongoing crackdown following the government’s decision to proscribe the Awami Action Committee and intensify measures against those allegedly involved in anti-state activities and those deemed a threat to public order.
On June 5, the President of AJK approved a ban on the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) for its involvement in ‘terrorism’ and ‘anti-state activities’.
As per the notification issued by the AJK Home Department, the President has accorded approval to list JAAC in the “First Schedule of the ATA, 2014, as a Proscribed Organization”, exercising powers conferred under section 12 of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Anti-Terrorism Act, 2014.
It stated that the Awami Action Committee is found to be involved in terrorism, creating anarchy in the State by intimidating the public, and promoting hatred among the masses.
The development came after the Awami Action Committee called for a statewide strike from June 9 over the non-implementation of demands that the AJK government had earlier agreed.
Earlier on June 13, the Azad Kashmir Home Department sent a request to the relevant authorities to place the names of the core committee members and active workers of the banned Awami Action Committee on the Exit Control List (ECL).
According to the sources, the scope of the operation has been extended beyond Azad Jammu and Kashmir to other parts of Pakistan. Relevant authorities have reportedly been asked to compile details of movable and immovable assets linked to individuals under investigation.
Officials are said to be seeking records of properties, including houses, commercial establishments, plots, and agricultural land, for legal scrutiny and any action permitted under applicable laws.
177 previous FIRs withdrawn
Last week, the AJK government ruled out any possibility of holding further negotiations with the JAAC and restored previously withdrawn FIRs against the action committee members.
As per details, the government had withdrawn FIRs against 177 members of the Action Committee involved in violent disruptions to support the dialogue process after all the previous talks, including the negotiations held with the group in October last year.
However, the government’s Law and Justice Department has now issued a notification to restore those cases relating to ‘protest and agitation of the proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee’.
“Pursuant to the decision of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Cabinet, taken during its 41st meeting held on 5th of June 2026, the President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir has been pleased to accord approval to withdraw the 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.
According to high-level government sources, the decision comes after a review of the recent law and order situation and developments linked to protests and unrest in parts of Azad Kashmir.
