JAAC defers march for a week after back-channel talks

• No untoward incident reported in Poonch, Sudhnoti
• Thousands gather at Rawalakot’s Eidgah Ground ahead of march
• JAAC says it wrote to army chief after concerns failed to reach him through official channels
• AJK home secretary says coordinated campaigns carried out on social media to incite people

MUZAFFARABAD: The proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) on Wednesday deferred for one week its planned long march on Muzaffarabad after back-channel contacts involving influential intermediaries raised hopes of a negotiated settlement to the ongoing standoff.

Contrary to widespread fears of fresh violence, no untoward incident was reported from the troubled districts of Poonch and Sudhnoti during the day, while life remained normal across the rest of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

Official and political sources in Rawalakot told Dawn that several thousand people, including women and children, had gathered at Eidgah Ground in anticipation of the march, while a smaller crowd assembled at the Mutyalmera bus terminal.

The participants, however, remained waiting as key JAAC leaders held hours-long talks with a mediation team comprising Overseas Pakistanis Foundation (OPF) Chairman Syed Qamar Raza, Chaudhry Zafar Anwar and Chaudhry Arif, both from Chakswari in Mirpur district.

The meeting, which lasted from about 1pm to 4pm, followed two earlier rounds of contacts initiated on Sunday and continued on Tuesday night.

“Both sides have reached broad agreement on most agenda items. A few outstanding issues remain, and once these are resolved, the understanding will be formalised and the ongoing sit-in is expected to end,” a source familiar with the negotiations told Dawn.

Another source said the progress suggested the mediators had secured the necessary backing from the highest levels, helping break the deadlock.

The earlier rounds of talks had also involved two respected figures from Poonch — Sardar Amin and Shazib Shabbir — who, according to sources, separately met Prime Minister Raja Faisal Mumtaz Rathore late on Tuesday night and urged him to play an active role in defusing the crisis.

Following the meeting, the prime minister wrote on X: “This state is a cradle of peace. How long will we continue to watch this peace being stained with our own blood? This cycle must stop here, and the ordeal of innocent people must end. Demanding one’s rights should not become a death warrant.”

He added that the government was prepared to take “another step forward” to restore peace and hoped the gesture would be met with “seriousness and maturity”.

Addressing supporters at Eidgah Ground, JAAC leader Umar Nazir Kashmiri announced that the long march had been postponed for one week, though the sit-ins would continue during that period.

“We hope the matters agreed upon in principle will be amicably settled during this period,” he said.

Kashmiri thanked Field Marshal Asim Munir and OPF Chairman Syed Qamar Raza for what he described as understanding the grievances of the people of Kashmir.

He claimed the JAAC had written to the army chief two days earlier after concluding that their concerns were not reaching him through official channels. “We placed all the facts before him and left the matter to his judgement,” he said.

‘Baseless propaganda’

Meanwhile, AJK Home Secretary Chaudhry Guftar Hussain said the proscribed JAAC had carried out coordinated campaigns using “baseless claims and propaganda” to incite people against the state.

Hussain, addressing the media, stated that the banned organisation had resorted to using women and children as “human shields” after its leaders showed indifference towards the party and failed to uphold their promises.

The home secretary said the actions of the JAAC were not only unethical but also violated “Kashmiri values”.

“Distracting students from their education means playing with their futures.”

JAAC promoted anti-state narratives, antagonised people against the Pakistan Army, attempted to damage Pakistan and AJK’s historical relationship, restricted people’s movement by blocking roads and disrupted the lives of ordinary citizens, the home secretary added.

“All these actions prove that JAAC’s actual purpose is not to protect the rights of the people but to damage AJK’s peace, economy and law and order.”

Published in Dawn, July 16th, 2026 ...