Shafaqna Pakistan: An intelligence assessment submitted to the government has alleged that the banned Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JK-JAAC), which initially emerged to protest high electricity tariffs and flour prices in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), gradually evolved into what the report describes as a foreign-backed campaign aimed at undermining Pakistan’s stance on Kashmir and destabilising state institutions.
According to the assessment, there is “credible evidence” that external actors, including hostile intelligence agencies, sought to exploit the movement by providing financial, propaganda and organisational support through overseas networks, particularly in the United Kingdom and Europe.
According to the assessment, JK-JAAC’s agitation evolved from socio-economic demands into a political campaign challenging constitutional arrangements in AJK, including calls to abolish the 12 refugee seats in the AJK Legislative Assembly and demands by some leaders to remove the oath of accession to Pakistan from the electoral framework.
The report says the refugee seats were created to preserve the political representation of refugees from Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJ&K) and argues that while constitutional reforms can be debated through political forums, threats to disrupt elections and reject constitutional provisions amount to political coercion.
Violent protests
The report traces the movement’s evolution through two major protest campaigns.
It says the May 2024 long march forced the government to announce relief measures on flour and electricity prices but ended in violence that claimed the lives of one law enforcement official and three civilians.
A second long march from September 29 to October 4, 2025, resulted in the deaths of seven civilians and three law enforcement personnel before a federally brokered agreement was reached on October 4, 2025. The report says many provisions of that agreement have either been implemented or are under implementation.
However, it alleges JK-JAAC subsequently shifted its demands instead of honouring the agreement. The report also refers to the latest unrest preceding the June 9 protest call, saying the AJK government’s decision to outlaw JK-JAAC under anti-terrorism laws followed violent clashes in which four law enforcement personnel were killed and 32 others injured.
Security agencies further claim that protesters used sticks, stones and firearms while taking advantage of AJK’s mountainous terrain and allege that some individuals with militant backgrounds and armed associates were present at protest sites.
Source: The News
