Traders to resume business activities in Muzaffarabad from Sunday, distance themselves from JAAC

MUZAFFARABAD: Traders and transporters in Muzaffarabad division announced on Saturday that markets and public transport would resume normal operations from Sunday after receiving assurances from the administration regarding security and uninterrupted fuel supplies.

The announcement marked the first significant easing of the shutdown that had disrupted daily life during the ongoing protests in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

At a joint press conference, representatives of traders' associations and the transporters' union also announced they were distancing themselves from the recently proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC).

The representatives said they had initially supported the JAAC when its campaign focused on public welfare issues such as subsidised electricity and flour.

However, they claimed the movement had shifted its focus after June 9 towards political and constitutional matters, including the demand to abolish the 12 reserved seats in the AJK Legislative Assembly for refugees from Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

They maintained that such constitutional matters should be resolved through legal and democratic channels rather than protests.

Traders' leaders urged demonstrators to settle their remaining disputes through dialogue and appealed to shopkeepers to reopen their businesses. They also called on the government to restore internet services and ensure uninterrupted fuel supplies to help revive commercial activity.

Following the announcement, shops in several parts of Muzaffarabad began reopening on Saturday afternoon, although business remained limited in many areas. In Poonch division, residents of Hajira also staged a protest demanding the removal of road blockades, warning they would clear the roads themselves if they remained closed.

Speaking at the press conference, traders' representatives said they had supported the movement for nearly three years while it remained focused on issues affecting ordinary citizens, including affordable electricity, flour and healthcare. They stressed that they could no longer support the campaign after its objectives changed and it was declared proscribed.

Reaffirming their respect for Pakistan, its institutions and armed forces, they urged young people to avoid unrest and called on the authorities to restore normal services so businesses could fully resume operations.