JAAC protests have subsided, premier told

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday reviewed the law and order situation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and reaffirmed his commitment to utilising all available resources for the welfare and prosperity of the people of Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. The prime minister expressed these views during a meeting with Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Amir Muqam, who called on him at the PM House. The premier was briefed that the intensity of the month-long deadly protests launched in AJK by the proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) had subsided, but demonstrations in Rawalakot and its fringes were still being staged. The protesters were still staging a sit-in in Rawalakot. However, the situation in Muzaffarabad and its nearby areas was reported to be calm. Shehbaz reviews AJK law and order situation in meeting with Amir Muqam Federal Minister for Public Affairs Rana Mubashir Iqbal, Minister of State for Power Abdul Rehman Kanju and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Talha Barki also attended the meeting. During the meeting, they also discussed the overall political situation in the country. The prime minister directed the authorities concerned to expedite the public service agenda and ensure that resolving public issues remained the government’s top priority. Meanwhile, former National Assembly deputy speaker and PML-N Khyber Pakhtunkhwa General Secretary Murtaza Javed Abbasi also called on the prime minister. According to a PM Office statement, they exchanged views on the country’s overall political situation. Federal Minister Iqbal, Minister of State Kanju and Special Assistant Barki also attended the meeting. Published in Dawn, July 3rd, 2026