Muzaffarabad [PoJK], June 23 (ANI): The Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) has claimed that normal life in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) has remained paralysed for the past 12 days, alleging widespread disruptions despite official claims that the situation is returning to normal.
In a post on X, JAAC said schools, hospitals, markets, transport services and internet connectivity have remained severely affected across the region. It alleged that while Pakistan’s national media continues to broadcast visuals suggesting normalcy, the ground situation is markedly different.
The committee claimed that markets in Rawalakot remain largely shut under what it described as an undeclared curfew imposed on June 6, followed by a declared curfew on June 9. It also disputed remarks attributed to PoJK Prime Minister Faisal Rathore, who reportedly said the public had rejected the sit-in by “troublemakers" and that only a handful of protesters remained at Dar-e-Aid Grounds.
Rejecting that claim, JAAC said, “The ground reality is entirely different," adding that journalists returning from the protest site were reporting a situation contrary to the official narrative.
The committee further alleged that authorities had managed to reopen less than 15 per cent of markets in the Mirpur Division, while shortages of food, medicines and other essential supplies were beginning to emerge due to the prolonged shutdown.
JAAC also claimed that the ongoing unrest has disrupted the political process, alleging that several prominent political leaders and electoral candidates have been forced to submit “absentee nomination papers." It accused mainstream political parties of remaining absent from the region while addressing the crisis through press conferences in Islamabad.
Questioning Pakistan’s political leadership, the committee alleged that those who had governed the region for decades were responsible for the current situation. “If foreign hands are involved, then what flowers have you been cultivating here for the past seventy years?" JAAC asked, accusing political leaders of invoking patriotism only when their own interests were threatened. (ANI)
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