Security sources say another Rangers personnel was injured as attackers also targeted police with automatic weapons
Rangers personnel martyred in an attack by armed groups in Rawalakot. Photo: Express
Armed groups of the banned Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) attacked security forces and civilians in Rawalakot, killing one Rangers personnel and injuring another, security sources said on Tuesday.
After failing to achieve their “nefarious agenda”, armed groups of the banned group opened fire on a civilian area near the Matial Maira Bus Terminal in Rawalakot on the morning of July 14, the sources said in a statement. The purpose of the firing was to provoke the public and revive participation in the sit-in, they added.
When police moved in to control the law and order situation following the attack, armed groups targeted police personnel with automatic weapons and ammunition, the sources said, adding that the Rangers personnel deployed to assist the police also reached the site to help restore law and order.
According to the security sources, the armed groups not only opened direct fire on law enforcement personnel with modern weapons but also used improvised explosive devices. One Rangers personnel was killed and another injured in the attack, they stated.
“Evidence confirms that the banned JAAC is pursuing an agenda of systematically challenging the writ of the state. This horrific incident has exposed the so-called peaceful struggle and the true face of the banned Joint Awami Action Committee,” experts said.
“The use of modern weapons and improvised explosive devices constitutes terrorism carried out under a well-planned strategy and has become a serious and deadly threat to the survival of ordinary people,” they added.
“The unprecedented sacrifices of the security forces demonstrate that the establishment and protection of the state’s writ is essential under all circumstances,” the experts further said.
“Immediate, strict and indiscriminate legal action against armed groups involved in attacks on state institutions is the urgent need of the hour,” they added.
“A decisive security operation against armed groups of the banned Joint Awami Action Committee has become inevitable to restore law and order in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and establish the writ of the state,” experts said.
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On Monday, the AJK Education Department suspended 20 serving and retired employees from the districts of Rawalakot and Sudhnoti for allegedly participating in the JAAC protest sit-in in Rawalakot.
The move comes as the government continues disciplinary action against public servants linked to the protest movement.
According to official sources, the suspended employees have been accused of taking part in the ongoing protest. The department has initiated disciplinary proceedings and appointed an inquiry officer from within the Education Department to investigate the allegations and determine their veracity.
The suspended employees include 15 teachers, of whom 12 are serving and three are retired. The remaining employees comprise three peons, one laboratory assistant and one clerk.
Sources said the action follows an earlier move by the authorities in the Rawalakot Division, who compiled a list of around 100 serving and retired government employees allegedly involved in, or facilitating, sit-ins organised by the JAAC. The list was forwarded to the relevant authorities for consideration of disciplinary action.
