MUZAFFARABAD: A complete strike is being observed in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Thursday (today) against presidential ordinance banning peaceful protests, ARY News reported.
Educational institutes and shops are closed on the protest call of Jammu & Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC), while transport is also suspended in the region.
Under the presidential ordinance, the government enforced 7-year jail term for the people protesting in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
The committee and other civil society groups hold the view that the ordinance infringes on the people’s constitutional right to peaceful assembly and expression, raising questions about the balance between maintaining public order and safeguarding civil liberties in the liberated territory.
On Tuesday, the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Supreme Court suspended the enforcement of ‘Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Ordinance, 2024’, while admitting two appeals against a high court ruling that had upheld the contentious law.
Read more: JAAC calls off AJK protests after demands met
In May, the Awami Joint Action Committee announced to end ongoing protests in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) against soaring inflation a day after the government accepted their demands.
It is pertinent to mention here that Azad Jammu and Kashmir witnessed violent clashes between the police and activists of a rights movement amid a wheel-jam and shutter-down strike across the territory, which left at least three people dead and several others injured.
 against presidential ordinance banning peaceful protests.){kind=link}