Semblance of normalcy returns to AJK as strike dwindles

In a video circulating on social media, a JAAC leader – identified by an official as Umar Nazir Kashmiri – can be heard asking the crowd: “After the way this game has been played with us, will you still take part in this sham and fraudulent election?” The crowd responds with a resounding ‘no’. Official sources said JAAC leaders are now employing emotionally charged rhetoric to keep their supporters mobilised amid the ongoing standoff with the government. Confirming the development, Poonch divisional commissioner Sardar Waheed Khan identified the speaker as Umar Nazir. Explaining their logic, he said they think that if people turn towards electioneering, the JAAC and its cause will lose relevance. Signs of life Meanwhile, routine life began to return in Muzaffarabad, with transport being partially restored, despite announcements by some traders’ representatives that businesses would resume over the weekend. The city and other parts of AJK, had remained in the grip of a strike for several weeks. However, normalcy is slowly returning to the region as the strike call peters out. Most markets in the city remained shut on Sunday, but a government official pointed out that this was due to the weekly holiday for traders, and expressed hope that commercial activity would return to normal on Monday. Public transport also showed signs of revival, with most buses and other passenger vehicles, which had remained off the roads for nearly three weeks, returning to their terminals near the new bus stand. Fuel supplies, however, continued to affect the resumption of transport services. Except for a handful, m