Pakistan, Oct. 9 -- Following the recent protest lockdown led by the Jammu and Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) once again finds itself at a critical political juncture. After high-level negotiations with Pakistan's federal committee and the acceptance of several key demands, the fragility of the existing setup in Muzaffarabad has become increasingly visible.

The movement, which mobilised citizens on a scale rarely seen before, effectively sidelined the region's traditional political elite. The ruling alliance - consisting of dissident PTI members, along with lawmakers from the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) - is now facing mounting criticism at both the ...