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| Day 48: Muzaffarabad talks collapse, protest continue in PoJK | | | Early Times Report
Jammu, July 26: Civil unrest in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) entered its 48th consecutive day on Sunday, with thousands of protesters gathering in Rawalakot ahead of a planned “Long March” to Muzaffarabad after negotiations between the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) and the Pakistani authorities reportedly collapsed.
The march is scheduled to take place on Sunday, coinciding with the regional legislative assembly elections, and is being projected by the organisers as a decisive phase of the ongoing agitation, which began as a civil disobedience movement but has now evolved into a broader political campaign.
The deadlock became apparent late Saturday when JAAC leader Sardar Umar Nazir announced that talks with the Pakistani authorities had failed to produce any breakthrough.
Addressing supporters shortly after midnight, Nazir said discussions had been underway since July 14 following the expiry of an earlier ultimatum on July 21. He alleged that none of the committee’s key demands had been accepted and that the notification branding protesters and JAAC members as terrorists remained in force.
“We have talked as much as we could. Now, a march on Muzaffarabad is the only option left,” Nazir told the gathering.
As part of the mobilisation plan, convoys from Mirpur and other districts began arriving in Rawalakot on Saturday, where demonstrators assembled before launching the final march.
According to the organisers, the unified procession towards Muzaffarabad will begin after Dhuhr prayers on Sunday, with protesters marching simultaneously from Rawalakot and neighbouring districts.
The organisers claimed that more than 1.25 lakh people had gathered in Rawalakot as support for the movement continued to grow across the region. Protesters were also reported to have removed posters and banners of pro-Pakistan political parties in several districts while fresh convoys continued to arrive.
The agitation has also witnessed a shift in its stated objectives. Addressing a public gathering in Rawalakot, senior activist Sardar Aman Khan said the movement had moved beyond its original 38-point charter of demands.
He said the focus had now narrowed to what he described as a single objective—transferring full political authority to the people of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and ending Pakistan’s intervention in the region’s affairs. Khan also accused Pakistan’s military establishment of suppressing the voices of local residents.
With thousands expected to march towards Muzaffarabad, security has reportedly been intensified in the regional capital amid concerns over possible unrest.
The planned march is widely being viewed as a critical test for both the protest movement and the Pakistani administration as tensions continue to escalate across Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. |
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