Police arrest supporters of banned group ahead of rally in Pakistan-administered Kashmir

Authorities in Pakistan-administered Kashmir arrested dozens of supporters of an outlawed group on Saturday, just days before a planned protest. The Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), which has led recent demonstrations demanding better services and greater rights, was banned by the regional government in Muzaffarabad on Friday, citing public order and security concerns.

The arrests followed weeks of escalating tensions between the government and JAAC over a comprehensive list of 38 demands. While officials state that 36 of these demands were accepted last year after negotiations involving JAAC representatives, regional officials, and Pakistan's federal government, two key issues remain unresolved. Faisal Mumtaz Rathore, the prime minister of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, has expressed willingness to meet with JAAC representatives to discuss the remaining demands, but the group has refused to cancel its planned protest march for Tuesday.

One of the two outstanding issues concerns the allocation of 12 seats in the legislative assembly specifically reserved for Kashmiri refugees. Security has been heightened across the Himalayan region, which is divided between Pakistan and India and claimed by both nuclear-armed neighbors. The region has a history of conflict, with the two countries having fought three wars over Kashmir since 1947. Last year, clashes between JAAC supporters and security forces resulted in several fatalities, including police officers. The group claimed on Saturday that two of its members were wounded by police gunfire, an allegation that Kashmir police denied, stating that armed individuals had opened fire on officers.

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he remains willing to meet JAAC representatives to discuss the two remaining demands.