PTI, TTAP slam ban on JAAC, call for dialogue

The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and the Tehreek-i-Tahaffuz-i-Aaeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) on Saturday criticised the decision to declare the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) a proscribed organisation, urging authorities to resolve political disputes through dialogue and constitutional means rather than coercive measures.

The statements came a day after the Azad Jammu and Kashmir government declared JAAC a proscribed organisation, accusing it of involvement in terrorism, promoting hatred and creating anarchy in the state.

In a statement issued by PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram on his X account, PTI expressed concern over the AJK government’s decision and over the violence reported in Rawalakot, in which, it said, one person had been killed and several others injured.

“Political, social and constitutional grievances must be addressed through democratic engagement, meaningful dialogue and constitutional means — not through bans, coercion or the use of force,” the party said.

Questioning the government’s decision, PTI said authorities had engaged with the committee for months before declaring it a proscribed organisation.

“If JAAC was truly a terrorist organisation, why did the government spend months negotiating with it, signing agreements with it, implementing its demands, holding meetings with its leadership and treating it as a legitimate stakeholder until yesterday?” the statement asked.

Read: AJK govt bans Joint Awami Action Committee as tensions rise ahead of June 9 protest call

The party said the strike call had been issued after what it described as a violation of an agreement between the government and the committee. It also said the JAAC comprised people from various political parties and civil society groups and had emerged in response to what it called poor governance.

Drawing parallels with its own experience, PTI said the decision reflected a broader pattern of suppressing political dissent.

“This is the same failed model that has been used against PTI. Suppress peaceful protest, block roads, suspend communication, intimidate citizens and then call every democratic demand a threat to the state,” it said.

The party maintained that disputes relating to refugee seats, electoral representation and the powers of the legislative assembly should be addressed through “open debate, judicial review and political engagement” rather than by declaring citizens’ platforms terrorist organisations.

PTI also warned that unrest in AJK could have wider implications for Pakistan’s position on the Kashmir issue.

“Any internal unrest in Azad Jammu and Kashmir must be handled with extreme care, because India is always looking for opportunities to distort facts, spread propaganda and weaken Pakistan’s moral and diplomatic position on Kashmir,” the statement said.

Calling for a review of the decision, PTI demanded that the government restore communication services, protect peaceful assembly, avoid collective punishment and initiate dialogue with all stakeholders.

“History proves that the use of force has never produced lasting political solutions,” the party said, adding that political problems required political solutions.

TTAP condemns ban

Separately, TTAP, an alliance of opposition parties, condemned the decision to designate the JAAC a terrorist organisation and ban its activities.

In a statement, the alliance said associating a public and political rights movement with terrorism was contrary to facts and democratic principles.

“Associating a public, political and constitutional rights-struggling organisation with terrorism is not only contrary to facts but also an assault on fundamental democratic principles, civil liberties and the right to vote,” it said.

The alliance accused the AJK government and federal authorities of relying on force and coercive measures rather than political engagement.

“Instead of listening to dissenting voices and seeking political solutions to political issues, the government of Azad Kashmir and the federal authorities are resorting to the path of force, bans and state coercion,” the statement said.

It argued that labelling public demands as terrorism amounted to an admission of political failure and would deepen the divide between the state and the people.

Also Read: 72 held in AJK crackdown as govt defends JAAC ban

The alliance demanded the immediate withdrawal of the decision, lifting of the ban on the committee and the initiation of “broad, meaningful and result-oriented negotiations” involving political parties, civil society, traders, lawyers and other stakeholders in AJK.

“The solution to problems lies not in bans, legal cases and the use of force, but in dialogue, public participation and democratic processes,” it said.

The alliance further warned that criminalising political dissent and branding public movements as terrorism was neither in the interest of democracy nor beneficial for national unity and Pakistan’s position on the Kashmir issue.

Meanwhile, former senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed described the move as a “wrong decision at the wrong time” in a post on X, saying it repeated past mistakes in dealing with dissent and questioned the use of anti-terror laws against political opponents.

Former senator Afrasiab Khattak called the ban “a gross violation of all the fundamental rights in the Constitution”.

In a post on X, he said: “Banning the Jammu Kashmir Awami Action Committee, a non-violent voice of the people, under the anti-terrorist act is a gross violation of all the fundamental rights in the Constitution.”

The leader of the Haqooq-i-Khalq Party, Ammar Ali Jan, also criticised the decision, arguing that repression during elections would increase resentment and instability.