Asif Haroon Raja
Pakistan’s Security Situation
According to a recent report by The Economist, Pakistan is currently facing one of the gravest internal security crises in its history, with militancy reaching its highest level in a decade.
The report notes that the country is simultaneously confronting security challenges on two major fronts. In Balochistan, the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) remains active, while in the northwestern border regions, attacks by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) have intensified.
Despite Pakistan repeatedly raising the issue of TTP safe havens on Afghan soil and undertaking cross-border countermeasures, these efforts have not achieved the desired success in curbing militant activity.
The magazine also identifies long-standing economic deprivation, political instability, and prolonged military operations in western Pakistan as contributing factors behind the current situation. It warns that unless sustainable political solutions are found, Pakistan’s law-and-order environment may deteriorate further.
A New Front Opens
At a time when Pakistan’s security forces are engaged in combating terrorists and their handlers at multiple locations, safeguarding both the eastern and western borders, and simultaneously playing a mediatory role in efforts to prevent a wider conflict between the United States and Iran, a new challenge has emerged in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
The Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), established in 2021 under the leadership of unknown Shaukat Nawaz Mir, has once again become a source of political confrontation.
This organisation previously disrupted peace in the region and compelled the government three times to accept a wide range of its demands through pressure tactics.
Taking advantage of what governmental weakness, the Committee once again threatened a long march on June 9, warning that it could paralyse the entire region of AJK.
Viewing these developments as a serious security concern, the authorities subsequently declared the organisation unlawful under anti-terrorism legislation.
The extremist tendencies, confrontational approach, and political motives of the banned JAAC have now become increasingly evident. It was never a genuinely peaceful movement.
Some of the Committee’s overseas supporters, particularly those based in the United Kingdom, have demanded the withdrawal of the Pakistan Army from AJK. (This demand is similar to TTP and BLA demands).
Opponents of this highly questionable demand question who would then be responsible for safeguarding the region’s borders and security. One lac army troops are deployed along the Line of Control and Line of Actual Control to protect AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB).
They also contend that many of the movement’s leading advocates reside comfortably abroad, while claiming to represent the interests of the Kashmiri people.
A major point of contention concerns the reserved seats allocated to refugees from Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir. Certain elements within the movement argue that these seats should instead be assigned to residents of AJK including those based abroad, a demand that has generated considerable political controversy.
Khawaja Mehran’s Narrative and the Continuation of an Anti-Pakistan Agenda
Khawaja Mehran’s call for overseas Kashmiris to stage protests outside Pakistani embassies around the world has been interpreted as evidence of a broader political agenda. Demonstrations were subsequently organised outside the Pakistani High Commission in London, with participation from various political activists including PTI.
Such campaigns seek to create a divide between AJK and Pakistan, weaken public confidence in the State, and damage Pakistan’s international image.
These activities coincide with efforts by hostile external actors to exploit domestic grievances for political purposes.
The government and its supporters maintain that nearly 98 percent of the movement’s demands have already been accepted through negotiations and that practical implementation is underway.
In their view, continued agitation despite these concessions reflects political motives rather than genuine public concerns.
They argue that the unrest is occurring at a time when Pakistan’s international standing has improved significantly and when the country is increasingly being viewed as a responsible and influential regional actor.
The Rawalakot Incident
On the morning of 8 June, armed members of the banned Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) carried out a pre-planned attack on the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Rawalakot. The incident resulted in the deaths of three Kashmiri police personnel—all local residents of Rawalakot—and one member of the Federal Constabulary, while twenty security personnel reportedly sustained gunshot injuries.
Security forces subsequently launched an operation and regained complete control of both Rawalakot city and the CMH premises.
A large-scale crackdown against JAAC followed. According to official claims, 151 suspects were arrested, while security forces recovered 37 sub-machine guns, 54 petrol containers, a large number of spear-tipped wooden batons, mobile phones containing Indian SIM cards, and substantial quantities of ammunition.
Among those arrested was Tauseef Jarral, a member of the JAAC core committee from Mirpur. Meanwhile, several senior leaders of the organisation reportedly went into hiding.
The attack on CMH Rawalakot, the deaths of local Kashmiri police officers, and the raising of anti-state slogans exposed the true nature of the organisation.
The group is acting at the behest of hostile intelligence agencies and the government has vowed that the sacrifices of the fallen personnel will not be forgotten and forgiven.
The attack has been widely condemned by those who view it as an assault on public order and state institutions. The violence demonstrated a pattern of escalation that had already been visible in previous incidents. It resembled episodes in AJK in 2021, on 9 May 2023, and on 26 Nov 2024.
Earlier episodes of unrest in AJK included the hostage-taking of police personnel in Rawalakot and Pallandri, who were later recovered safely by state authorities. Similarly, organised disturbances were created in Khai Gala, where the activists deliberately created disorder and instability.
It has now been established that members of the movement possess weapons and receive financial and operational support from external actors, including hostile foreign networks.
From this viewpoint, the movement is seen as an attempt to jeopardise the peace of AJK and push the wider region towards instability.
The people of Pakistan and AJK are outraged over the repeated vandalism of the Action Committee. Many came out with their rifles in support of the law enforcers. They say that no leniency should be shown towards groups that resort to violence and confrontation.
To be continued
About the Author
Brigadier (Retd) Asif Haroon Raja, SI (M) is a war veteran. He is Command and Staff Course and War Course qualified, holds an MSc in War Studies, and served as Defence Attaché in Egypt and Sudan, as well as Dean of the Corps of Military Attachés.
