The banned Joint Awami Action Committee’s (JAAC) chief, Umar Nazeer, has issued public threats to traders in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), according to official statements.
Authorities said the JAAC’s disruptive elements have begun intimidating AJK shopkeepers. Nazeer is alleged to be distributing “traitor certificates” to those who kept shops open during the strike. In a statement attributed to him, Nazeer warned: “Those who open shops in Azad Kashmir will always be remembered as traitors. We will mark which shop belongs to a traitor, which to a facilitator.” He cited an example from Bagh, claiming a bakery owner who opened during the strike had to sell and flee.
Officials and analysts said the public has rejected the committee’s call for shutdowns. “In reality, it is the banned agitation committee’s leaders who have become enemies of poor shopkeepers. After the public rejected their appeal to close shops, they are now trying to enforce strikes through threats,” experts said.
Authorities described the threats to peaceful traders as a sign of desperation and “economic terrorism” by disruptive elements.
Earlier, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Police claimed to have busted the funding network of the banned Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), arresting four suspected operatives.
According to police, the network was involved in collecting funds through intimidation and extortion and was also receiving financial support from abroad.
Authorities claimed the money was being used to finance the JAAC’s activities, including the Rawalakot sit-in and other violent incidents. Police said the suspects were arrested during an operation targeting the group’s financial network.
One of the arrested suspects, identified as Mehtab Ahmed, allegedly confessed that the JAAC’s ringleader, Hamza, had instructed him over the phone to collect funds from various individuals and send the money to Rawalakot. He claimed he was arrested by AJK Police while transferring the funds.
Another suspect, Rizwan, allegedly told investigators that Hamza had directed him to collect money from different people and hand it over to Mehtab.
Police also claimed that Hamza’s father admitted to providing financial assistance to the banned outfit, saying his son had asked him to send money for Rawalakot. He also reportedly announced that he had severed all ties with the banned committee. According to the police, the collected funds were intended to finance the activities of the banned organisation. Authorities further claimed that several individuals associated with the financial network had renounced their affiliation with the group.
Security officials said that the organisation collected money from residents of Azad Kashmir in the form of extortion to finance disruptive activities.