Muzaffarabad (Web Desk): Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) authorities have said all state institutions are working in coordination to restore law and order, protect citizens, and ensure the uninterrupted delivery of public services across the region.
Addressing a joint press conference in Muzaffarabad alongside AJK Secretary for Education Qazi Inayat, AJK Interior Secretary Chaudhry Guftar Hussain said security agencies and the civil administration are taking every necessary step to maintain peace and normalcy.
He alleged that the banned Awami Action Committee has been trying to disturb public order for the past 38 days. According to the Interior Secretary, the group has used protest activities as a means of intimidation, blackmail, and propaganda while promoting anti-Pakistan narratives and attempting to discredit the country's armed forces. He further claimed that the organisation was also trying to weaken the longstanding relationship between Pakistan and the people of Kashmir.
Chaudhry Guftar Hussain said traders had been pressured to shut down their businesses, while students, women, and children were allegedly being used as human shields during demonstrations.
He maintained that the majority of the people of Azad Jammu and Kashmir had rejected the group's agenda, adding that daily life had largely returned to normal in most districts and educational institutions had resumed academic activities.
The Interior Secretary said law enforcement agencies remain fully prepared to respond to any attempt to create unrest or intimidate the public in accordance with the law.
Referring to recent developments, he said Khawaja Mehran, whom he identified as the leader of the banned committee, had issued a 48-hour ultimatum to block all entry points into Azad Jammu and Kashmir. He said similar threats had failed in the past and would not succeed this time either.
He also stated that previous protests organised by the banned group had resulted in economic losses worth billions of rupees for the region.
Speaking about the latest security situation, Chaudhry Guftar Hussain said armed attackers opened indiscriminate fire on civilians at the Muttial Maira Bus Terminal in Rawalakot early Tuesday morning. When police intervened, he alleged, the attackers responded by firing automatic weapons and using explosives against law enforcement personnel.
He said security forces immediately launched an operation against the armed assailants, while Rangers had also been deployed to Rawalakot to support the police.
According to the Interior Secretary, one security official was martyred and another sustained injuries during the exchange of fire.
He added that a clearance operation was continuing in Baloch Bazaar to reopen the Kotli–Tararkhal Road and other major highways. The operation, he said, would continue until all key routes were cleared to restore traffic, ensure the supply of essential goods, safeguard public safety, and re-establish lasting peace.
Chaudhry Guftar Hussain reiterated that the government would not allow any disruptive group to paralyse daily life or hold citizens, businesses, educational institutions, or healthcare services hostage.
He said normal life had resumed across most districts of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, with the exception of some areas in Rawalakot.
Government and private educational institutions, he added, were functioning as usual, while summer camps for board examination students officially began on Monday in Muzaffarabad, Mirpur, Kotli, Leepa, Kel, and several other parts of the region.
Speaking on the occasion, AJK Secretary for Education Qazi Inayat said involving students in protest activities deprived them of education and put the future of the younger generation at risk.