MUZAFFARABAD: The committee leading the movement has declared a “shutter-down and wheel-jam” strike throughout the region today (Friday) in response to the police allegedly detaining up to 70 activists in an attempt to stop a “long march” that the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee had announced to pressure the government to abide by an agreement reached between the two in February of this year.
The Public Action Committee has been spearheading a rights movement to oppose “unjust” levies applied to electricity bills and participated in a walkout in August of last year for the same purpose.
According to the initiative, customers should receive electricity in AJK based on the cost of producing hydel power. A ministerial committee had promised to figure out the cost after months of demonstrations, stating that the government was “committed to providing relief to its people.”
In response to the “non-fulfilment of the commitments” made in writing by an official reconciliation committee of cabinet members on December 23, 2023, in response to which a notification was also issued on February 4, 2024, the committee announced last month that they would march on Muzaffarabad on May 11.
Minister reports 70 people detained; traders and police fight in Dadyal tehsil
Shaukat Nawaz Mir, the elected leader of traders, and a few other action committee members were raided by the police in Muzaffarabad early on Thursday morning. Eight committee members—two of whom were student leaders—were taken into custody during these operations.
After traders staged a demonstration at Maqbool Butt Shaheed Chowk, around a dozen activists’ protests in nocturnal raids in Mirpur’s Dadyal tehsil led to altercations. A school was also affected by the police-thrown tear gas shells, which worsened the situation for multiple females. The vendors were throwing stones at the police. Nawaz Mir responded to the raid by announcing via a video message from a hiding place that the May 11 protest had been moved to May 10 (today) due to the “brutal attitude” of the Dadyal police.
