JAAC Temporarily Postpones Muzaffarabad Long March After Negotiations, Gives Government Until July 21

MUZAFFARABAD/RAWALAKOT: The Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) has temporarily postponed its announced long march towards Muzaffarabad following lengthy negotiations, giving the authorities until July 21 to act on its demands.

According to information shared by local journalist Haris Qadeer and JAAC-linked sources, the leadership has formally announced that the long march has been postponed, not called off. The committee has warned that if the government fails to implement its promises or accept the remaining demands by the deadline, the march will resume from July 22.

The decision comes after days of heightened tension across Pakistan-administered Jammu Kashmir, where sit-ins, road blockades, security deployments and clashes have continued ahead of the planned march. JAAC had earlier warned that it would march towards Muzaffarabad on July 15 if its demands were not met. Arab News reported that the committee said the march would proceed after July 14 and that its demands would no longer remain limited to the existing charter if there was no progress.

Dawn also reported earlier that JAAC had set July 14 as the deadline for acceptance of its demands and announced that the long march on Muzaffarabad would resume on July 15 if its charter was not implemented. The report noted that sit-ins had continued at several locations around Rawalakot since June 10.

The latest announcement means the march has been paused to allow negotiations another opportunity, while ongoing sit-ins will continue as before. JAAC-linked sources said the decision should not be interpreted as the end of the movement, but as an attempt to give dialogue a final chance.

The committee has said that all existing protest camps will remain in place and that the public campaign will continue until concrete steps are taken. Protest leaders have maintained that the coming days will test whether the government is serious about implementing its commitments.

The pause follows a deadly escalation in the region. Reuters reported that nine people were killed on July 14 in clashes between security forces and supporters of the banned protest group, including protesters and security personnel in Tararkhal and Rawalakot. Reuters said the unrest stems from a dispute over 12 regional assembly seats reserved for refugees living elsewhere in Pakistan, which protesters argue dilutes local representation.

The Associated Press reported that authorities launched operations to clear roads blocked by JAAC supporters, while the group has been staging sit-ins demanding abolition of the 12 refugee seats. AP also noted that the regional Supreme Court ruled the seats are constitutionally protected and cannot be abolished without a constitutional amendment.

JAAC and its supporters have demanded governance reforms, implementation of earlier agreements, reduction of official privileges, accountability for the use of force, release or legal production of detainees, and resolution of the reserved refugee seats issue.

Local sources said that during the negotiation window, the atmosphere is expected to remain peaceful, security forces will avoid further movement or operations around protest sites, and both sides will maintain the conditions necessary for talks.

There was no immediate detailed official statement confirming the full terms of the understanding or the steps the government intends to take before July 21.

For now, the movement has entered a temporary negotiation phase. If the authorities fulfil their commitments, JAAC leaders say it will be viewed as a success of the public struggle. If the deadline passes without action, the committee has announced that the long march will resume on July 22.