MUZAFFARABAD: A former core member of the proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) on Sunday urged the group’s leadership to immediately withdraw its call for a long march and sit-in in Rawalakot, saying the month-long agitation had caused immense hardship to the people of Poonch, where several lives had been lost.

In a video statement posted on his Facebook page, Raja Amjad Ali Khan, a former vice-chairman of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Bar Council who was regarded as one of the alliance’s principal legal strategists before parting ways with it following its proscription, appealed to JAAC leaders Umar Nazir Kashmiri and Khawaja Mehran Arshad to call off the protest.

“I request the leadership of the banned Joint Awami Action Committee, Umar Nazir Kashmiri and Khawaja Mehran, to immediately withdraw the call for the long march and sit-in, which has been ongoing for over a month. This situation has caused severe hardship and suffering for the people of Poonch, and several precious lives have also been lost,” he said.

Earlier on Thursday, Kashmiri announced that the alliance would stage a long march on Muzaffarabad on July 15 if its charter of demands was not implemented by July 14.

Says month-long agitation caused immense hardship in Poonch, appeals for restoring peace

Both Kashmiri and Arshad have been camping at the Eidgah ground on the outskirts of Rawalakot, from where they have been delivering occasional fiery speeches and what they describe as “policy statements”.

Addressing the people of Rawalakot and Poonch, Khan urged them not to become part of what he described as “disruptive forces” and instead support efforts aimed at restoring peace and stability in the region.

He also appealed to members of the Kashmiri diaspora living in the United Kingdom and other countries not to rely on unverified information circulating about the situation and to play a constructive role in restoring peace and normalcy.

“The time has come to rescue the people of Poonch from these hardships and miseries and restore peace, stability and normal life in the area,” he said.

Khan’s latest appeal came nearly three weeks after he publicly severed ties with the

proscribed JAAC, claiming it had deviated from its original objectives.

In a video message posted on his Facebook account on June 20 and widely shared on social media the following day, he alleged that the movement had been diverted from its peaceful course to damage Pakistan-Kashmir relations and accused some people of sending young activists to prison while striking “behind-the-scenes deals”.

He also declared that he no longer had any association with the proscribed JAAC or with any nationalist or separatist organisation.

Published in Dawn, July 13th, 2026