RAWALAKOT: Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Police on Saturday claimed to have busted the funding network of the banned Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), arresting four suspected operatives.
According to police, the network was involved in collecting funds through intimidation and extortion and was also receiving financial support from abroad.
Authorities claimed the money was being used to finance the JAAC’s activities, including the Rawalakot sit-in and other violent incidents.
Police said the suspects were arrested during an operation targeting the group’s financial network.
One of the arrested suspects, identified as Mehtab Ahmed, allegedly confessed that the JAAC’s ringleader, Hamza, had instructed him over the phone to collect funds from various individuals and send the money to Rawalakot. He claimed he was arrested by AJK Police while transferring the funds.
Another suspect, Rizwan, allegedly told investigators that Hamza had directed him to collect money from different people and hand it over to Mehtab.
Police also claimed that Hamza’s father admitted to providing financial assistance to the banned outfit, saying his son had asked him to send money for Rawalakot. He also reportedly announced that he had severed all ties with the banned committee.
According to the police, the collected funds were intended to finance the activities of the banned organisation. Authorities further claimed that several individuals associated with the financial network had renounced their affiliation with the group.
Security officials said that the organisation collected money from residents of Azad Kashmir in the form of extortion to finance disruptive activities.
AJK places JAAC leadership on Fourth Schedule
Earlier, the AJK government placed the leadership and around 150 activists of the banned JAAC on the Fourth Schedule of the Anti-Terrorism Act.
According to the notification issued by the AJK Home Department, key leaders including Shaukat Nawaz Mir, Raja Amjad Ali, Anjum Zaman, Raja Saib Javed, Umar Nazeer Kashmiri, Advocate Arbab, Arshad, Najeebullah, Advocate Saad Ansari, Imtiaz Aslam, and Raja Hafeez Babar had been added to the list.
Officials said individuals on the Fourth Schedule will face strict monitoring of their movement and participation in public gatherings. Their financial transactions and other activities will also be placed under close surveillance.
The notification makes regular reporting at the relevant police stations and monitoring by security agencies mandatory for all listed persons.