Govt links JAAC figures to armed network, announces three more arrests

ISLAMABAD  –  Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry on Sunday announced the arrest of three more individuals allegedly linked to the Jammu and Kashmir Joint Action Committee (JAAC), while presenting audio recordings, statements and investigation findings that he said established connections between the protest movement and armed elements.

Addressing a press conference, Talal said Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi would soon present facts, background information and details explaining why, according to the government, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) administration was allegedly benefiting politically from the law and order situation in the province instead of fulfilling its constitutional and legal responsibilities.

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Talal said the JAAC protest call and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) long march had been announced for the same day, October 4. He said JAAC had called for protests and strikes, but the people of Azad Kashmir had rejected the call. During all three phases of the elections, he added, large numbers of voters turned out to exercise their right to vote, rejecting attempts to prevent Kashmiris from making their own political choices.

The minister said the government had maintained from the outset that the movement was not purely political. He alleged that after suffering defeat in a direct attack against Pakistan two years ago, hostile elements had increased support for their proxies. Hideouts and training camps operating across the western border, he claimed, were being used to destabilise Pakistan through proxy groups.

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“If links exist between such proxies and political figures or groups, an important question arises: are politicians using these elements, or are these elements using politicians for their own purposes?” he asked.

Referring to earlier investigations, Talal said a man identified as Zia had been arrested and was found to have been involved in illegal arms trading for the past eight years. Investigators, he claimed, had established links between Zia, Sardar Aman, Majid and another individual, Zarghoon, in Afghanistan.

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According to the minister, weapons were procured from Afghanistan, transported through Pakistan’s tribal areas and subsequently moved to Kashmir through an official employee identified as Akbar, who allegedly misused his official position to avoid suspicion.

Talal said further investigations following the public disclosure of these details resulted in the arrest of three more individuals. Before announcing their arrests, he played audio recordings in which Sardar Aman allegedly expressed concern over Zia’s arrest and discussed efforts to portray him as mentally unstable.

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The minister claimed the recordings indicated attempts to obtain backdated medical certificates declaring Zia mentally ill. When these efforts allegedly failed, he said, pressure was placed on Zia’s family members, relatives and friends to issue video statements for the media and social media portraying him as mentally unfit, thereby casting doubt on his statements.

He said investigations had also revealed that efforts were made to establish alternative channels for the supply of weapons following Zia’s arrest.

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Responding to repeated allegations that security forces had opened fire on protesters, Talal said protests and sit-ins had continued for more than 100 to 125 days and claimed that security personnel had refrained from using force despite having opportunities to disperse protesters.

He said security forces had not initiated violence and claimed that evidence, including footage showing sniper rifles and automatic weapons, had already been shared with the media.

The minister questioned why violent incidents emerged on election days after attempts to prevent the elections had failed. Referring to the Mirpur phase of the elections, he said large numbers of people had participated in voting, after which violent incidents occurred and allegations were levelled against security forces.

Talal announced the arrest of three additional individuals — Waqar Hameed, Muhammad Ali and Ammar Sohail — saying they had direct links with two key JAAC figures.

A recorded statement by Waqar Hameed was also played during the press conference. In it, he allegedly claimed to have been associated with the Action Committee for three years and to have remained in contact with its senior leaders. He further claimed that he and armed associates had participated in sit-ins and other activities on the instructions of committee leaders, while armed teams were allegedly given directions regarding operations during protest activities.

The minister also accused JAAC leaders of creating political narratives by describing arrests as “abductions”. He played a speech by Sardar Aman in which the arrests of Waqar, Sohail and Ali were described as disappearances.

Talal said Sardar Aman was aware that the three individuals had been formally arrested and that their families had been informed. He claimed that family members were satisfied with the legal process and had acknowledged the involvement of the arrested individuals in the activities under investigation.

Talal further accused JAAC leaders of attempting to portray Azad Kashmir and Indian-occupied Kashmir as identical situations, saying such efforts had repeatedly failed. He said elections had been held in Azad Kashmir, an elected government was functioning and public representatives, including ministers, advisers and the president, had been chosen through votes.

He said the protest movement had originally begun with 38 demands, of which 37 had been accepted. Some demands, he added, had been fully implemented while work on others was continuing. Despite this, he said, protests had continued, affecting schools, businesses, shops and routine life.

Concluding his press conference, Talal reiterated that the coincidence of October 4 being chosen as the date for both the Kashmir protest and PTI long march raised important questions. He said the government had placed before the media various links between the two events and other related developments.

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