ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif on Wednesday accused protesters involved in the recent unrest in Azad Kashmir of seeking to impose their agenda through violence rather than democratic means, as authorities intensified a crackdown following deadly clashes linked to a dispute over the region’s upcoming elections.
The remarks came after cities and towns across Azad Kashmir, the part of the disputed Himalayan region that is administered by Pakistan, shut down on Tuesday during a strike called by the recently banned Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), a protest alliance opposing the reservation of 12 seats in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly for refugees from Indian-administered Kashmir and their descendants living elsewhere in Pakistan.
The region has witnessed escalating tensions in recent days. At least 11 people were killed on Sunday night in clashes between protesters and security forces in Rawalakot, prompting authorities to launch a sweeping crackdown, announce rewards for the arrest of protest leaders and register sedition cases against several JAAC figures.
“Now that elections are near, taking contentious issues to the court of the people is the very essence of democratic thinking,” Asif wrote on X.
“Those who seek to impose their opinions and thoughts through murder and plunder instead of public opinion have ulterior motives.”
The defense minister said the violence showed that those involved did not want disputes resolved through the electoral process:
“If anyone wants to enforce their extra-constitutional, anti-state agenda through violence and armed groups, the state will enforce the law with full force and give the Kashmiri people the opportunity to freely exercise their opinion.”
The JAAC called the strike to protest the reservation of 12 seats in the regional assembly for refugees from Indian-administered Kashmir, arguing that the arrangement allows mainstream political parties based in Pakistan to influence government formation in the territory. Elections for the assembly are scheduled for July 27.
The regional government designated the JAAC a proscribed organization on Friday under anti-terrorism legislation.
Meanwhile, Amnesty International has criticized what it described as a “violent and sweeping crackdown” on protests, citing reports of Internet restrictions, arrests and the use of force against demonstrators.
Authorities have accused JAAC supporters of attacking security personnel and public property during Sunday’s unrest and say the measures are necessary to restore law and order ahead of the elections.
