MUZAFFARABAD (Kashmir English): The strike call has failed in the Muzaffarabad Division. Consequently, normal life has been fully restored across the capital and its surrounding areas, with both the business community and the general public decisively rejecting such protest-based politics.
The proscribed ‘Joint Awami Action Committee’ (JAAC) had called for a complete shutdown, halting both transport and commercial activity across the Muzaffarabad Division; however, the call failed to gain any traction among the public.
Early in the morning, all business centers, markets, and shopping malls, both large and small in Muzaffarabad city and its vicinity, opened as usual.
Traders disregarded the pressure and threats from the banned organization, choosing instead to open their shops and continue their commercial operations.
Traffic flowed normally on both main highways and internal city roads. Inter-district and inter-provincial transport services continued to operate from all major terminals, ensuring that citizens, employees, and students faced no difficulties in commuting. Government and private offices, educational institutions, and banks also remained open as usual, with attendance recorded in a peaceful environment.
Local analysts and citizens note that the repeated strike calls and protests orchestrated by the proscribed ‘Joint Awami Action Committee’ (JAAC) have, in the past, severely harmed the livelihoods of ordinary people and the regional economy.
The public has now fully grasped their personal and political agendas; this is precisely why, on this occasion, both the general public and the business community have categorically rejected ‘Jack’s’ false narrative and tactics.
Citizens state that elements hostile to peace and development seek to jeopardize regional stability solely to serve their own interests; however, the discerning people of Muzaffarabad have thwarted these conspiracies by choosing to remain peaceful.
In light of the call for a strike, the administration and police implemented stringent security measures at the city’s entry and exit points, as well as at sensitive locations.
Alert police contingents patrolled the area to address any untoward incidents, providing a sense of security to the business community and the general public.
The administration has declared a ‘zero-tolerance’ policy toward miscreants who attempt to take the law into their own hands or force the closure of shops, emphasizing that there will be no compromise on the region’s peace and order.
