A Demolition and a Disappearance Put PaJK on Edge as Council Race Begins

 MUZAFFARABAD: Two cases involving prominent leaders of the ongoing rights movement have brought the confrontation between the government and the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee into renewed focus, even as Pakistan-administered Jammu and Kashmir (PaJK) moves towards elections for four vacant Kashmir Council seats.

In Dadyal, Mirpur district, the administration has defended the demolition of a Dera (guest house) owned by JAAC leader Khawaja Mehran Arshad’s family as action against illegal construction on state land.

The JAAC has rejected that explanation and described the demolition as an attempt to pressure its leadership.

At the same time, the whereabouts of another senior JAAC leader, Showkat Nawaz Mir, remain unresolved nearly three months after reports first emerged that he had been arrested.

The issue is now before the High Court, where Mir’s family and the government have presented sharply conflicting accounts.

Mir’s sister, Yasmin Mir, approached the court on July 15, alleging that her brother had been arrested and was being held illegally.

She said Mir had not returned home after June 5 and that the family had been unable to establish contact with him.

The controversy intensified after reports of his arrest emerged on June 30. Muzaffarabad Deputy Commissioner Munir Qureshi was reported at the time to have confirmed the arrest.

Another report said that Mir had been taken into custody from Dhirkot in Bagh district. The government and police subsequently told the court that Mir was not in their custody.

They maintain that he is wanted in several cases registered in Rawalakot, Bagh and Muzaffarabad and is evading arrest. Some cases include provisions under anti-terrorism laws.

Mir’s family disputes that account.

Their lawyer, Shahid Ali Awan, told the court about a video that allegedly shows the station house officer of Dhirkot and other policemen taking Mir away.

He has sought the summoning of the police officer to establish whether Mir was taken into custody.

The lawyer has also sought to place a USB before the court containing the alleged arrest footage and other material.

The Advocate General has questioned the evidentiary value of the footage, arguing that videos can now be created or manipulated using artificial intelligence and their authenticity must first be established.

The fifth hearing in the case was held on September 30, but the dispute remained unresolved.

The Advocate General sought additional time because of another engagement. The court adjourned proceedings until October and directed the government to complete its arguments at the next hearing.

A video of the demolition appeared on social media and shared on X by @Ajk_Updates.

Dadyal Demolition

The dispute over Mir’s whereabouts coincides with another confrontation involving JAAC leadership.

The Dadyal administration demolished a dera associated with Khawaja Mehran Arshad, triggering a strong reaction from the committee. Khawaja Mehran, who is present at the Rawalakot sit-in, faces cases under terrorism and sedition laws. His name was also added to the Fourth Schedule of Pakistan's Anti-Terrorism Act, bringing him under tight police surveillance.

JAAC alleged that the action was politically motivated and intended to pressure those leading the protest movement.

It said action against the property of individual leaders would not end the campaign over public rights. The administration offered a different version.

It said structures had been illegally constructed on government land by some people associated with the movement. According to the administration, Arshad’s dera was among those structures and was demolished only after legal notices were issued.

It said similar action could be taken against other illegal structures if violations were established. No other anti-encroachment operation was carried out in Dadyal alongside this action, leading to the perception that the demolition may have been an act of retaliation. The competing claims could not be independently reconciled.

The demolition nevertheless comes during a period of heightened tension between the administration and JAAC following months of protests, arrests and criminal cases.

Kashmir Council Polls

Meanwhile, the political focus after the recent general elections is shifting towards four vacant seats of the Kashmir Council.

Elections for the seats have been scheduled for October 12, with members of the Legislative Assembly forming the electoral college.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz has nominated Raja Mushtaq Minhas, Chaudhry Muhammad Saeed and Chaudhry Manzoor for three seats.

Minhas has been nominated from Poonch division, Saeed from Mirpur division and Manzoor from Muzaffarabad division.

The Pakistan Peoples' Party has nominated former Legislative Assembly speaker Chaudhry Latif Akbar for the fourth seat.

The nominations have drawn attention because senior politicians who failed to secure Assembly representation in the recent elections are now seeking entry into the Kashmir Council.

The Council election will be one of the first significant political exercises for the newly constituted Assembly.

The Council election is proceeding even though the general election itself remains incomplete.

Polling has yet to take place in seven Assembly constituencies in Poonch and Sudhnoti.

Five of the seats are in Poonch district and two in Sudhnoti.

Voting there was postponed because of the law-and-order situation, and a fresh polling schedule has yet to be announced.

Candidates from the affected constituencies have held consultations over the security situation and the resumption of the electoral process.

The authorities have maintained that voting will be conducted after conditions return to normal.

The situation has created an unusual political contrast.

While the newly constituted Assembly prepares to elect Kashmir Council members, seven constituencies remain without elected representatives. Most of the affected constituencies are in an area that has also witnessed some of the strongest mobilisation associated with the recent protest movement.

Rawalakot Development Promises

The government has meanwhile announced another set of development projects for Rawalakot and surrounding areas.

The proposed projects include Rs500 million for establishing a catheterisation laboratory at Combined Military Hospital Rawalakot.

Additional funds have also been promised for the hospital under construction at Chak so it can be developed to provide modern maternal and child healthcare facilities. The package includes 10 electric buses and reconstruction of around 20 kilometres of roads.

The proposed routes include Chak-Rawalakot city, Rehara-Baldia Adda and Mujahidabad-Supply Bazaar. The roads are also expected to serve as routes for the proposed electric bus service.

The government says the schemes form part of the prime minister’s 100-day programme.

But the latest announcements have also revived questions about an earlier Rs1 billion development package announced for Rawalakot in September 2025.

Questions remain locally over how much of that package was released, which projects were completed and which remain pending.

The new development promises, Kashmir Council elections and the unresolved voting in seven Assembly constituencies are unfolding against the backdrop of continuing tensions with JAAC.

The committee has given the government until October 3 to implement its outstanding demands and plans to announce its next course of action on October 4.

For the moment, however, the immediate political picture is being shaped by two parallel developments: an intensifying dispute over the treatment of JAAC leaders and an institutional political process moving ahead through the Kashmir Council despite an unfinished Assembly election.