Thousands rejoin AJK sit-ins after overnight dispersal

MUZAFFARABAD: Activists and supporters of the proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), who had dispersed from sit-in sites on the outskirts of Rawalakot after midnight, regrouped at two locations on Friday afternoon, drawing thousands of participants des­pite official claims that the protest campaign had collapsed. Senior officials had claimed early on Friday that all three protest camps on the fringes of Rawalakot had been vacated after 12:30am amid expectations of a major operation by law enforcement agencies. The largest gathering, comprising participants from Mirpur division and southern parts of Poonch division, had been camped at Eidgah Ground, around 3.5 kilometres from Rawalakot city, where the administration has imposed restrictions on entry from outside areas for several days. Speaking to Dawn in the early hours of Friday, Poonch Divisional Comm­issioner Sardar Waheed Khan claimed that all protesters had dispersed, “unconditionally surrendering” before the state and “returning to their respective areas”. He added that the development followed back-cha­nnel contacts with local JAAC leader Umar Nazir Kashmiri through two local figures, Javed Nisar of the Rawalakot Bar Asso­ciation and Javed Sha­rif of the Poonch District Council. He said the intermediaries conveyed a message, urging Mr Kashmiri to call off the protest in the interest of participants’ safety. The commissioner clai­med that Mr Kashmiri had sought the withdrawal of the notification proscribing JAAC and offered to end the sit-ins and surrender before local police if the demand was accepted. Residents contacted by Dawn also confirmed that Eidgah Ground appeared deserted in the early hours of Friday, with only litter left behind by departing protesters. Protesters return However, people from nearby areas began ret­urning to the venue by noon and the gathering steadily swelled. After Friday prayers, the crowd was estimated at between 5,000 and 6,000 people, including dozens of women and chil