Banned JAAC leader booked for sedition

ISLAMABAD: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government has registered a case under Section 124-A of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Penal Code (APC) against Khawaja Mehran Arshad, a key ringleader of the proscribed Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), following a highly provocative speech targeting the country’s security architecture. The First Information Report (FIR) was formally lodged at the Civil Secretariat Police Station in Muzaffarabad after intelligence and local monitoring units verified the contents of Arshad’s address, delivered on June 14, 2026, at Dreck, Rawalakot. According to official sources, Arshad originally hailing from Dudial, District Mirpur openly incited Kashmiri personnel serving within the Armed Forces of Pakistan to revolt against their institution. Addressing uniform personnel, Arshad reportedly stated: “I am addressing those who are serving in Pakistan Army and are shedding blood for the defence of Pakistan. I am asking them not to wait any more; commit mutiny and fall back to your country (Azad Jammu & Kashmir). ” Senior officials stated that the speech marks a dangerous departure from the civic and economic narrative the JAAC originally claimed to represent. “The state displayed maximum tolerance when the group raised domestic economic demands, but actively inciting mutiny within the military crosses the ultimate constitutional red line, ” an official stated. “This is no longer dissent; it is an overt act of rebellion against the state’s security apparatus. ” Legal experts confirm that APC Section 124-A specifically addresses sedition and anti-state acts aimed at inciting hatred, contempt, or rebellion against the state and its vital institutions. The development comes just weeks after the AJK Home Department proscribed the JAAC under the Anti-Terrorism Act following a string of violent confrontations, attacks on law enforcement, and disruptive blockades across AJK. Security analysts argue that the timing and nature of Arshad’s remarks point to a deeper, more malicious agenda orchestrated at the behest of external adversaries. Investigators are currently probing financial and digital footprints to identify potential linkages between the JAAC core committee and hostile foreign elements looking to exploit local fault lines. The state has vowed to take unyielding action against all facilitators of the network, reiterating that while peaceful negotiation remains open for civic groups, zero tolerance will be extended to entities attempting to orchestrate institutional anarchy. Copyright Business Recorder, 2026

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