MUZAFFARABAD: At least 30 people, including eight policemen, sustained injuries in clashes between police and protesters in Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s southern town of Kotli on Thursday, during demonstrations against a recent ordinance promulgated to “regulate public assemblies”, officials said.

They alleged that the protesters damaged or set fire to four vehicles, as well as other public property, in the district headquarters.

The unrest followed a call for protests by some groups against the “Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Ordinance 2024” promulgated on Oct 29.

The ordinance has faced legal challenges, with two writ petitions, including one from the AJK Bar Council, filed in the AJK High Court.

The petitions claimed that the law infringed upon fundamental rights such as freedoms of assembly, speech, and association, guaranteed under the Interim Constitution of 1974.

However, the court dismissed the petitions on Monday, ruling that the ordinance imposed “reasonable restrictions” in line with the constitutional framework.

On Tuesday, the AJK Bar Council filed a petition for leave to appeal (PLA) in the AJK Supreme Court, along with a request for interim relief. Chief Justice Raja Saeed Akram, hearing the application for interim relief via video link on Thursday, decided that it would be heard alongside the PLA after notices were served to respondents.

Kotli is the second town in AJK, after Rawalakot, to witness protests against the ordinance.

Protests in Rawalakot

Protests began in Rawalakot last Saturday, led by local factions of the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), National Awami Party (NAP), and National Students Federation (NSF).

Demonstrators torched copies of the ordinance, prompting police to register an FIR against 25 individuals and 200 unidentified persons. Four individuals were arrested.

On Tuesday, protests intensified in Rawalakot, with demonstrators demanding the release of detainees and the repeal of the ordinance.

Three more individuals were arrested, bringing the total number of detainees to seven, according to a senior police official.

Clashes in Kotli

The clashes in Kotli, where the call for demonstration was given by the All Parties Coordination Committee, were unexpected.

Kotli Deputy Commissioner retired Major Nasir Rafique told Dawn by telephone that the demonstrators had gathered at Shaheed Chowk, disrupting pedestrian and vehicular movement.

“When police asked them to vacate the area, they responded by pelting stones and bottles. Police then used batons and tear gas to disperse them,” Mr Rafique said.

He alleged that the protesters set fire to a police bus, a Rescue 1122 pickup truck, and a motorbike parked at the Public Works Department (PWD) Rest House, damaging its windows and air-conditioning units.

A private car parked there was also damaged. Even an ambulance belonging to the Naveed Welfare Foundation was not spared, he said.

Video footage showed the ambulance driver reversing at high speed to evade stones thrown by protesters.

In the process, the vehicle struck a parked car. However, some demonstrators were seen attempting to stop others from damaging the ambulance.

Allegations and denials

Tahira Toqeer, a JKLF leader, accused police of using excessive force without any justification. They fired tear gas into shops where people had taken refuge and conducted a brutal baton charge, she said in a speech somewhere in Kotli, whose footage was also available on social media.

Some protesters alleged on social media that police had themselves torched vehicles at the PWD Rest House to “frame demonstrators”.

DC Rafique dismissed the allegations, calling them baseless. “Police are a disciplined force and would never resort to such unethical practices, especially when resources are already limited,” he said.

Mr Rafique confirmed that no arrests had been made so far, but said authorities were reviewing CCTV footage to identify and prosecute those responsible for damaging public and private property.

In anticipation of further protests, the Muzaffarabad district administration banned public gatherings on Friday under Section 5 of the ordinance.

For this very reason, AJK University also announced a holiday for its both campuses in and around Muzaffarabad on Friday.

Published in Dawn, November 22nd, 2024