Traders and transporters in Muzaffarabad division have called for the immediate restoration of internet services, warning that the digital blackout affecting Azad Jammu and Kashmir since June 8 is inflicting severe damage on commercial activity, freelancing livelihoods, and students across the region. The demand was made at a joint press conference held at the Central Press Club in Muzaffarabad, where the trade and transport representatives simultaneously announced that markets and public transport services would resume normal operations from Sunday following administration assurances of adequate security arrangements and uninterrupted fuel supplies.
The press conference was led by Gohar Kashmiri, senior vice chairman of the Markazi Anjuman-i-Tajran Muzaffarabad, Raja Abrar Mustafa, president of the Madina Market Traders Association, and Khawaja Azam Rasool, president of the Divisional Transport Operators Union. The representatives also distanced themselves from the proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee, alleging that the movement had deviated from its original economic objectives following June 9 and was now pursuing a political and constitutional agenda that went well beyond the mandate of traders and transporters. The distinction is significant because it signals that the business community’s grievances, centred on restoration of economic activity and digital connectivity, are separate from the broader political movement, and that commercial stakeholders are willing to resume operations regardless of the JAAC’s position.
The impact of the internet shutdown has extended beyond the businesses that depend on connectivity for daily operations. Students preparing for examinations and freelancers serving international clients have been among the most severely affected, with residents reporting that they were being forced to travel entirely outside AJK and into neighbouring Khyber Pakhtunkhwa just to access basic online services. The digital blackout has also caused collateral disruption across the border into Punjab, with Murree’s internet services remaining completely suspended for an extended period due to the proximity of major telecommunications towers to the AJK boundary. Deputy Commissioner Zaheer Shirazi confirmed that the Murree outage was triggered directly by the shutdown in neighbouring Kashmir, as cellular network infrastructure installed on the geographical border between Murree and AJK ceased functioning when services were deactivated across the Kashmir side. For a tourist destination that generates significant economic activity during the summer season, the connectivity disruption has carried tangible financial consequences on the Punjab side of the administrative boundary, making the AJK internet suspension a regional rather than purely local connectivity issue.
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