(Abdul Basit Alvi)
Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) is a self-governing territory formed after the partition of the subcontinent and the 1949 ceasefire line rather than a province like Punjab or Sindh. Although it has its own president, prime minister, legislative assembly and supreme court, it remains heavily dependent on Pakistan for defense, foreign policy, currency and financial support. Due to its sensitive border with Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, one of the world’s most militarized and volatile regions, Pakistan considers AJK both a strategic asset and a moral responsibility, continuing to provide billions of rupees in grants, subsidies, development projects and infrastructure even during economic crises, inflation, debt and international financial pressure. Despite this support, the Joint Awami Action Committee’s June 9 strike call has sharply divided public opinion. Supporters see it as a democratic and peaceful effort to highlight delayed development, lack of transparency, inflation and inadequate healthcare, while a larger group including traders, shopkeepers, transporters, teachers, doctors, students and daily wage workers argues that strikes only increase hardship for ordinary people by shutting down markets, schools, universities, transport and government offices. Critics emphasize that laborers lose wages, businesses suffer financial losses, students face academic disruption and stress, and patients experience delayed treatment and worsening health. Many also question the timing because Pakistan itself is struggling with inflation, rising fuel and electricity prices and IMF-related tax measures while still providing subsidized flour, fuel, electricity and development funds to AJK through programs such as the Annual Development Program and the Kashmir Economic Package. Since AJK reportedly receives higher federal transfers per capita than most provinces, many citizens and analysts in Muzaffarabad, Mirpur, Kotli, Bagh and Rawalakot view the strike as disruptive, harmful to AJK’s image and potentially damaging to future federal support.
Critics further argue that the Joint Awami Action Committee’s repeated strikes, protests, sit-ins and road blockades have failed to resolve underlying political and economic issues while leaving ordinary citizens to bear the financial and social costs. Many residents of AJK have become frustrated with strike culture, believing the committee leadership remains personally unaffected while workers, patients, students and the elderly suffer the consequences. Increasingly, people are calling for dialogue, peaceful engagement and legal or parliamentary methods instead of repeated shutdowns and pressure tactics such as road blockades, transport closures and market shutdowns that deliberately create public suffering to force government action. Concerns are also growing about the effect on young people, especially college and university students who are mobilized through rallies, pamphlets, social media campaigns and emotional speeches. Critics believe the committee encourages hostility toward the state, government, police, law enforcement agencies and even Pakistan itself by portraying every issue as oppression or conspiracy, filling young people with anger, frustration and victimhood that can easily be manipulated for political purposes. Young protesters are often placed at the front lines where they risk injury, arrest or death, and such incidents are then used to generate further anger and recruit more supporters. Many fear this culture of confrontation threatens AJK’s traditionally peaceful, educated and moderate society and benefits Pakistan’s adversaries, particularly India, which they believe uses unrest in AJK as propaganda to portray the region as unstable. As a result, ordinary citizens, civil society groups, trade unions, traders associations and religious leaders are increasingly demanding that the June 9 strike be withdrawn. Through public gatherings, newspaper letters, social media campaigns and local radio messages, they are calling for peace, stability and the freedom to continue daily life without disruption, insisting that any genuine grievances should be addressed through negotiations, legal action and parliamentary forums rather than forcing the entire population to suffer for political objectives.
The people of AJK are demanding that the government take tangible and visible steps to stop the growing culture of hate, division and violent protests that groups like the Joint Awami Action Committee are promoting. They want the government to enforce the law strictly against anyone who incites violence, blocks roads, damages public property or disrupts normal life. They want the government to work with educational institutions to teach students about peaceful and legal methods of protest, and to protect young people from being exploited by political groups. They also want the government to improve governance, transparency and service delivery so that genuine grievances are addressed before they can be exploited by pressure groups. If the government delivers good governance and listens to the people, then groups like the Joint Awami Action Committee will have no excuse to call strikes. But even if governance is not perfect, the people of AJK have made it clear that they prefer dialogue over strikes and peace over chaos. They understand what is good for them and what is bad for them, and they have decided that the strike culture is bad. Therefore, they are speaking with one voice to say that the June 9 strike should be cancelled, that the Joint Awami Action Committee should change its approach, and that the government should act firmly to protect the peaceful and prosperous future of Azad Jammu and Kashmir for generations to come.
