Muzaffarabad placed under Section 144 amid rising tensions in AJK

Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s capital, Muzaffarabad, has been placed under Section 144, prohibiting gatherings of four or more people at any one place. A notification in this regard has also been issued by the Deputy Commissioner of Muzaffarabad. Meanwhile, internet services have been suspended across AJK, although mobile phone services remain operational. The burial of Shahzaib, a member of the outlawed Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee, has taken place. Shahzaib was killed in a firing incident in Rawalakot. The Joint Awami Action Committee has accused the law enforcement agencies of carrying out the firing. However, Commissioner Rawalakot Sardar Waheed claimed that police did not fire at the vehicle and were not present at the scene before the incident. Tensions remain high in Rawalakot, where Rangers personnel have been deployed at sensitive locations. According to a member of the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee, traders and transporters have launched a strike in Muzaffarabad and other parts of Kashmir in protest against Shahzaib’s killing. A government official stated that Rangers and Frontier Corps personnel have been deployed at sensitive sites in Muzaffarabad and other areas. These include the Supreme Court building, the Legislative Assembly, the Presidential House, and the Prime Minister’s House. Polling underway in Gilgit-Baltistan amid tight security