The people of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) largely ignored the call for a strike given by the banned Joint Awami Action Committee’s (JAAC) as routine life was witnessed in most of big cities, including Muzaffarabad, on Saturday.
Shops remained open, while traffic kept plying on roads in Bhimber, Mirpur and Kotli.
The AJK government on Tuesday ruled out any blanket amnesty for leaders of the JAAC, holding them responsible for recent deaths and violence and vowing to pursue legal action against them.
The AJK government and the JAAC remain at odds over various issues, most notably the committee’s demand to abolish the 12 seats in the Legislative Assembly, which are reserved for refugees from the Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir who settled in Pakistan after 1947.
Addressing a joint press conference alongside Inspector General of Police (IGP) Liaqat Ali Malik, Chief Secretary Khushal Khan said, “There will be no blanket amnesty.”
He added that the leadership of the proscribed organisation would have to face the consequences of the deaths and violence linked to its movement.
