Thousands rejoin AJK sit-ins after overnight dispersal

Thousands of activists and supporters of the proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) have regrouped for sit-in protests in Rawalakot, Pakistan, defying official claims that the campaign had collapsed. The demonstrators returned to two locations on Friday afternoon, drawing large crowds after dispersing from protest sites on the outskirts of Rawalakot shortly after midnight.

Senior officials had asserted earlier on Friday that all three protest camps near Rawalakot had been vacated. This came amid expectations of a significant operation by law enforcement agencies. The largest gathering, comprising participants from the Mirpur and southern Poonch divisions, had been encamped at Eidgah Ground, approximately 3.5 kilometers from Rawalakot city. For several days, the administration had imposed entry restrictions from outside areas into this location.

In the early hours of Friday, Poonch Divisional Commissioner Sardar Waheed Khan claimed that all protesters had dispersed "unconditionally." However, the subsequent regrouping of thousands of participants indicates the protest movement's resilience and continued momentum despite the authorities' efforts to quell it.

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all protesters had dispersed, “unconditionally surr