The Jammu and Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee has once again called for a long march towards Muzaffarabad on June 9, 2026, warning that a region-wide shutter-down strike and wheel-jam protest will begin the same day if its demands are not met by May 31.
The announcement came after a two-day meeting of the committee’s core members, who said that an agreement reached on October 4, 2025 with the Government of Pakistan and the government of Azad Jammu and Kashmir has yet to be implemented. The committee says the delay has deepened concerns at a time when preparations are already under way for new elections in the region.
At the heart of the dispute is the issue of 12 seats reserved for migrants. The committee has repeated its demand that elections should not be held on those seats and insists that both the federal and regional governments are bound, under the earlier agreement, to abolish the migrant seats before the next polls. It has also called for broader electoral reforms to ensure what it describes as free and transparent elections.
The timing of the protest call is politically significant. The legislative assembly is due to complete its term in July 2026, after which new elections are expected. The committee argues that electoral changes must be made before the assembly completes its tenure, otherwise the upcoming vote will proceed under a disputed arrangement.
Under the protest plan, the government has been given until May 31 to ensure full implementation of the October 4 agreement. The committee says that if no action is taken by then, it will launch an indefinite shutter-down strike, wheel-jam protest and long march across Jammu and Kashmir from June 9.
The development sets the stage for a possible confrontation between the protest movement and the authorities in the weeks ahead. With elections approaching and the deadline drawing near, attention is now focused on whether the government moves to address the committee’s demands or whether the region heads towards a fresh phase of political agitation.
