Authorities have suspended internet and mobile phone services across Azad Jammu Kashmir effective from 11:30 pm, with the blackout confirmed to remain in force until June 12, in a move closely tied to planned demonstrations across the region by the Joint Awami Action Committee.
The Joint Awami Action Committee has called for province-wide protests across Azad Kashmir beginning June 9, with demonstrations expected to take place across multiple areas of the region simultaneously. Ahead of the planned protests, the federal government approved the deployment of 1,500 Islamabad police personnel to Azad Jammu Kashmir following a formal request submitted by the Azad Jammu Kashmir government earlier in the week. The deployment is structured across multiple command tiers, with one Deputy Inspector General, two Senior Superintendents of Police, and four Superintendents of Police leading the contingent, supported by eight Deputy Superintendents of Police, 16 inspectors, and 22 sub-inspectors. At the ground level, the force comprises 70 assistant sub-inspectors and 1,382 constables drawn from the Counter Terrorism Department, City Patrol Centre, and Safe City divisions of the Islamabad police, with additional personnel selected from the Security Division, Operations Division, Logistics Division, Islamabad Traffic Police, Anti-Terrorism Squad, and Special Branch to further reinforce security coverage across the region.
The suspension of internet and mobile services ahead of and during protest activity has become a recurring pattern in Pakistan and Azad Jammu Kashmir, with authorities citing public order considerations as the basis for such measures. The week-long duration of the current suspension, running from June 5 through June 12, is notably extended compared to shorter service interruptions seen in other situations, and will affect residents, businesses, and students across the region for the entirety of the protest period and beyond. PTA has not issued a separate public statement on the suspension at the time of reporting.
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