UNWISE protest calls from Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) seem practical demonstration of a saying of American comedian Groucho Marx . He said “Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies”. JAAC is looking for the troubles everywhere in AJK , diagnosing the problems incorrectly and vigorously applying the wrong remedies. Past track record of the JAAC platform is brief as well as full of disturbing activities revolving around agitation, fiery speeches, careless statements, violent strikes and closure of communication infrastructures.
In AJK, masses are disturbed, non-interested and quite confused amid recurring calls for strike from JAAC. An agreement was reached between the government and JAAC) to systematically address public grievances regarding rising inflation, high electricity costs and inadequate civic infrastructure. In line with this pact, the government initiated tangible steps, including granting financial relief, rolling out administrative reforms and advancing various development projects through the approval and tendering phases. However, despite these documented advancements, the JAAC leadership has called for a strike on 9 June 2026. This move has sparked widespread skepticism across AJK’s political and social landscapes.
Observers note that because the government is actively fulfilling its promises and delivering substantial public relief, persisting with protests and confrontation shifts the focus away from public welfare, suggesting instead an effort to exert political leverage ahead of the upcoming elections. Despite these measurable achievements, a fresh protest call orchestrated by stalwarts of JAAC has drawn widespread scrutiny regarding their true objectives. Since public demands are actively being met, critical relief is arriving and development is progressing, hence impartial observers are questioning the necessity of this disruptive strategy. This raises pressing concerns over whether the planned shutdown genuinely serves the public interest or if it is instead driven by individual political agendas, personal egos and upcoming electoral strategy.
A notable shift has occurred as the Action Committee expands its rhetoric to include constitutional frameworks and the region’s broader relationship with Pakistan. This pivot away from localized civic issues strongly indicates that the organizers’ ultimate objectives have fundamentally changed from the public-centric demands they originally presented. The primary consequence of any strike or forced closure falls squarely on ordinary citizens. When daily-wage labourers lose their income, shopkeepers face commercial losses, students miss educational opportunities and patients experience severe hardships, the underlying public benefit becomes deeply questionable. These disruptions often appear to serve only the protest organizers by providing them with media visibility and political leverage.
The ongoing friction raises critical questions regarding the core motives of the leadership. The government has already made measurable progress on 32 separate points originally raised by the public. Repeated calls for disruption, despite these resolutions, suggest the platform may be utilized as a tool for personal political advancement rather than genuine civic advocacy. It is about time for the advocates of JAAC to refrain from pushing the provocative rhetoric in the garb of self-style public rights movement which is eventually destined to end at violence and chaos.
—The writer is contributing columnist, based in Islamabad.
