Pakistan’s parliamentary opposition alliance said on Monday that its leaders were stopped by police from traveling to Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), where they had planned to mediate in an ongoing political crisis, according to The Nation.
The alliance, Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Ayin-e-Pakistan (TTAP), said its delegation was heading to Rawalakot to meet protest leaders and representatives of the banned Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC). The aim, they said, was to listen to grievances and seek a peaceful solution through dialogue.
According to TTAP Vice Chairman Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, the group including senior politicians such as Mehmood Khan Achakzai, Raja Nasir Abbas, former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, and Dr. Zafar Mirza, was stopped by Islamabad Police near the Sihala area. He alleged that heavily equipped police, backed by armoured vehicles and prison vans, blocked their path on orders from higher authorities and prevented them from entering AJK.
Khokhar said the delegation staged a brief sit-in at the site in protest, causing long traffic queues, before eventually returning to Islamabad. He also pointed to wider restrictions, alleging that Punjab Police had effectively sealed key road routes leading into AJK, limiting movement toward the region.
Opposition leaders said their visit had been planned at the request of Kashmiri civil society groups and human rights activists. Achakzai described the effort as an attempt to play a mediating role at a time of rising tension.
The unrest in AJK has continued since early June, when the JAAC launched protests demanding the removal of reserved seats for Kashmiri refugees and an end to elite privileges. Since June 9, the region has witnessed shutter-down strikes and wheel-jam protests, disrupting daily life and transport.
Earlier this month, the situation escalated into violent clashes, deepening concerns about stability in the region. Protesters in Rawalakot have maintained a prolonged sit-in, pressing authorities for negotiations.
The opposition alliance says dialogue remains the only path forward, but Monday’s blockade has raised fresh questions about political space and access to Kashmir at a critical moment.__Photo courtesy X
