Banned Joint Awami Action Committee Leader Shaukat Nawaz Mir Arrested in Azad Kashmir

ISLAMABAD: Shaukat Nawaz Mir, a senior leader of the banned Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKAAC), has been arrested in Pakistan-administered Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), officials confirmed on Tuesday.

Muzaffarabad Deputy Commissioner Munir Qureshi confirmed the arrest, saying Mir was taken into custody near the boundary between Muzaffarabad and Bagh districts.

According to the local administration, the arrest was carried out during a joint operation involving police and other law enforcement agencies.

Dhirkot Station House Officer (SHO) Raja Suhail said Shaukat Nawaz Mir and two of his associates were detained near a stream in the Hillan area, close to the village of Sangar Patharian.

Police said one of the detained individuals is accused of providing shelter to Mir. Authorities added that the JKAAC leader is undergoing initial interrogation, but his current location has not been disclosed for security reasons.

Earlier this month, after the government declared the Joint Awami Action Committee a banned organization, it announced a reward of Rs10 million each for information leading to the arrest of Shaukat Nawaz Mir, Sardar Umar Nazir, Khawaja Mehran Arshad, and Sardar Aman Khan.

Following the ban, hundreds of individuals linked to the committee were reportedly placed on the Fourth Schedule, a government watch list. In Poonch Division, local authorities have also forwarded records of serving and retired government employees and military personnel allegedly associated with the group to relevant institutions for possible disciplinary action.

Meanwhile, curfew has remained in force in Rawalakot, the main city of Poonch Division, for the past three weeks, with protesters continuing sit-ins at four locations, including Darek Eidgah Ground and the Matiyal Mehra Bus Terminal.

In contrast, normalcy is gradually returning to Muzaffarabad. Last week, Gohar Kashmiri, vice president of the Central Traders Association and a close associate of Shaukat Nawaz Mir, announced his separation from the Action Committee and called for markets to reopen.

Local journalists reported that around 20 to 25 percent of Muzaffarabad’s commercial areas have resumed operations, with major retail outlets reopening. However, business activity remains limited due to the suspension of banking and ATM services.

Residents also continue to face shortages of fuel, while internet services have remained suspended for nearly three weeks, creating significant difficulties for daily life.

Several prominent members of the Action Committee, including Raja Amjad Ali Khan Advocate, Anjum Zaman Awan, Faisal Jameel Kashmiri, and Iftikhar Zaman, have recently released videos announcing their disassociation from the organization.

Negotiations between the government and the banned committee remain deadlocked. The committee has demanded the withdrawal of all punitive measures and official notifications issued after June 5, while the government insists that protesters must first end their sit-ins before formal talks can begin.

Efforts to resolve the political crisis have also intensified in Islamabad. On Monday, opposition leaders including Mahmood Khan Achakzai, Raja Nasir Abbas, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, and Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar were stopped by Islamabad Police at Sihala while attempting to travel to a protest site in Rawalakot.

Separately, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Jamaat-e-Islami leader Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman have offered to mediate between the government and the Kashmiri protesters. Fazlur Rehman, however, said he has not yet received any formal response from the government regarding the mediation proposal.