MUZAFFARABAD: Authorities staged flag marches across major towns in Azad Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, flexing their muscles amid an uneasy calm as leaders of a civil society alliance pressed forward to mobilise support for a region-wide lockdown scheduled for Sept 29.

The show of force by the government came as the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC) escalated its campaign, vowing to shut down the region to protest what it calls the decades-long denial of fundamental rights.

In Muzaffarabad, Shaukat Nawaz Mir, a core member of the action committee, toured several neighbourhoods with colleagues and dozens of followers.

“Let it be clear once again: we are not running a campaign against any ideology or institution, but for the bona fide rights of our people that have been denied for over seven decades under one or the other pretext,” he told a cheering crowd in Plate.

Traders vow to keep shops open

“The lockdown will send a loud and clear message that enough is enough. Either grant the rights or face the wrath of the people.”

He said the lockdown was plan A, while the alliance had also prepared plans B and C. “And plan D,” he warned, “is the harshest.”

While the government has not publicly outlined its strategy for the Sept 29 event, officials said strict security measures have been established.

On Saturday, large convoys of vehicles carrying armed police and paramilitary personnel conducted flag marches in almost all district headquarters. Heavy contingents were also deployed at city entry and exit points, with strict surveillance at sensitive sites.

Separately, traders’ associations announced they would forgo their weekly holiday and keep shops open on Sunday to allow citizens to purchase essential food and household items ahead of the planned lockdown.

At the Muzaffarabad meeting, Divisional Commissioner Chaudhry Guftar Hussain noted that federal and AJK ministers had already held “open-hearted” dialogue with the JKJAAC but stressed that peace must be ensured collectively. “Disorder and lawlessness benefit no one,” he remarked.

District Magistrate Mudasser Farooq, speaking at the same meeting, warned that no one would be allowed to disrupt public life or free movement.

“Maintaining peace is a shared responsibility of the administration, police, and citizens,” he said. “We have no quarrel with anyone, but our mission of public service will continue at all costs.” He added that safeguarding state property, including vehicles and machinery, was the “foremost duty of all employees.”

Published in Dawn, September 28th, 2025