Talal Chaudhry presents details on Oct 4 protests, JAAC links, arrest of 3 more accused

ISLAMABAD, Oct 04 (APP):Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry on Sunday revealed the arrest of three more individuals linked to JAAC and presented audio recordings, statements and investigation findings related to the case.

He said the Interior Minister would soon present facts, background information and details explaining why, according to the government, the KP administration benefits politically from the law and order situation in the province instead of fulfilling its constitutional and legal responsibilities.

Speaking at a press conference, Talal Chaudhry said that the call for a JAAC protest and the PTI long march had been announced for the same day, October 4. He said JAAC had called for protests and strikes, but the people of Kashmir rejected the call. During all three phases of elections, large numbers of voters participated and rejected efforts aimed at preventing Kashmiris from making their own decisions, he added.

Talal Chaudhry said the government had maintained from the beginning that the movement was not purely political. He stated that after suffering defeat in a direct attack against Pakistan two years ago, hostile elements increased support for their proxies. He alleged that hideouts and training camps operating across the western border were used to destabilize Pakistan through proxy groups.

He said if links existed between such proxies and political figures or groups, an important question arose as to whether politicians were using these elements or whether these elements were using politicians for their own purposes.

Referring to earlier investigations, Talal Chaudhry said a man named Zia had been arrested and was found to have been involved in illegal arms trading for the past eight years. He said investigators established links between Zia, Sardar Aman, Majid and another individual named Zarghoon in Afghanistan. According to the investigation, weapons were procured from Afghanistan, transported through Pakistan’s tribal areas and later moved to Kashmir through an official employee named Akbar, who allegedly used his official position to avoid suspicion.

Talal Chaudhry said that after these details were presented publicly, further investigations led to the arrest of three more individuals. Before discussing their arrests, he played audio recordings in which Sardar Aman expressed concern about Zia’s arrest and discussed efforts to portray him as mentally unstable.

The minister said the recordings showed attempts to obtain backdated medical certificates declaring Zia mentally ill. He further claimed that when these efforts did not succeed, pressure was allegedly placed on family members, relatives and friends to release video statements on media and social media describing Zia as mentally unfit so that his statements would not be considered credible.

He said investigations also revealed that after Zia’s arrest, efforts were made to find alternative channels for the supply of weapons.

Providing further background, Talal Chaudhry referred to repeated allegations that security forces had opened fire on protesters. He argued that protests and sit-ins had continued for more than 100 to 125 days and that security forces had not used force despite having opportunities to remove protesters. He said force was not initiated by security personnel and claimed that evidence, including footage of sniper rifles and automatic weapons, had already been shared with the media.

He questioned why violent protests emerged on election days after attempts to stop elections failed. Referring to the Mirpur election phase, he said large numbers of people participated in voting and that violent incidents later occurred, followed by allegations against security forces.

Talal Chaudhry announced the arrest of three additional individuals: Waqar Hameed, Muhammad Ali and Ammar Sohail. He said all three had direct links with two key JAAC figures. A recorded statement by Waqar Hameed was played in which he claimed to have been associated with the Action Committee for three years and to have remained in contact with senior leaders. In the statement, he alleged that he and armed associates participated in sit-ins and activities on the instructions of committee leaders and that armed teams received directions regarding operations during protest activities.

The minister also accused JAAC leaders of creating political narratives by describing arrests as abductions. He played a speech by Sardar Aman in which the arrests of Waqar, Sohail and Ali were described as disappearances. Talal Chaudhry said Sardar Aman was aware that the three individuals had been formally arrested and that their families had been informed. He added that family members were satisfied with the legal process and acknowledged their involvement in the activities under investigation.

Talal Chaudhry said attempts were being made to portray Azad Kashmir and Indian-occupied Kashmir as identical situations, but such efforts had repeatedly failed. He said elections had been held in Kashmir, an elected government was functioning, and public representatives, including ministers, advisers and the President of Kashmir, had been chosen through votes.

He stated that the protest movement originally began with 38 demands, of which 37 had been accepted. According to him, some demands had been fully implemented while work on others was continuing. Despite this, he said protests continued, affecting schools, businesses, shops and daily life.

Concluding the press conference, Talal Chaudhry reiterated that the coincidence of October 4 being chosen for both the Kashmir protest and the PTI long march raised important questions. He said various connections between the two events and other related developments had been presented before the media.