MUZAFFARABAD (Kashmir English): Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government on Monday rejected the report issued by the British broadcaster BBC regarding the current situation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), terming it untrue.
While holding a press conference in Muzaffarabad, Secretary Information Muhammad Rashid Hanif said the facts and figures presented in the report are not only wrong but also issued without confirmation or denial from any government organization, namely the police and civil administration.
The government official said that the allegations made by the banned Joint Awami Action Committee regarding the incidents that took place in Rawalakot and its suburbs from July 27 to 31 are “false, misleading, and part of a systematic misinformation propaganda campaign.”
He said that these allegations are contrary to facts and are part of an attempt to destroy public order and state writ through organized actions of armed groups against law enforcement agencies.
Furthermore, Rashid Hanif added that in the recent armed actions of the banned JAAC, law enforcement officials were martyred and injured, while police and Rangers vehicles were also vandalised.
Muhammad Rashid Hanif said that evidence of the presence of weapons in the possession of members of the organisation had already been presented at a press conference on July 27, held by the representative of AJK Police.
‘7 LEA officials martyred’
According to the Secretary Information AJK, seven law enforcement officials were martyred, more than 45 were injured, and several others sustained minor injuries.
“This is confirmation that the banned Joint Action Committee is harboring a large number of armed elements and is seeking to harm the state writ and public order,” Hanif added.
He further said the use of weapons and violence by the banned Joint Action Committee is not new, but has been prominent in the recent past as well.
“In 2025, three law enforcement officials were martyred, 52 were seriously injured, and more than 350 were slightly injured due to the violence by JAAC, while in 2024, one security official was martyred and about 60 were seriously injured in gunfires,” the official added.
He said that recently two armed operatives of the organization admitted that they were promised a reward of Rs 10 million in exchange for killing a Rangers official, which raises worrying questions about the sources of financial support of the organization.
The Information Secretary said that evidence of the presence of modern weapons with the organization has been released by the Azad Kashmir government in the form of videos and press releases, and the BBC should have also taken this credible evidence into account in its report.
He said that the security institutions of the AJK government have shown utmost restraint and professionalism to maintain law and order.
Rashid Hanif said that the propaganda being made on social media platforms associated with the banned organization in this regard is misleading.
He further said that there is documented and verified evidence of the banned organization blocking roads, stopping or burning food trucks, while the law enforcement agencies have made every possible effort to ensure the delivery of essential goods to the people.
Hanif added that the June 5 incident also occurred mainly in response to an armed attack by the banned organization, after which the organization was declared banned.
He said that in view of these facts, the Azad Kashmir government banned the organization under the Anti-Terrorism Act to ensure law and order, state writ and public safety.
