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MUZAFFARABAD: Activists and supporters of the proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), who had dispersed from sit-in sites on the outskirts of Rawalakot after midnight, regrouped at two locations on Friday afternoon, drawing thousands of participants despite official claims that the protest campaign had collapsed.
Senior officials had claimed early on Friday that all three protest camps on the fringes of Rawalakot had been vacated after 12:30am amid expectations of a major operation by law enforcement agencies.
The largest gathering, comprising participants from Mirpur division and southern parts of Poonch division, had been camped at Eidgah Ground, around 3.5 kilometres from Rawalakot city, where the administration has imposed restrictions on entry from outside areas for several days.
Speaking to Dawn in the early hours of Friday, Poonch Divisional Commissioner Sardar Waheed Khan claimed that all protesters had dispersed, “unconditionally surrendering” before the state and “returning to their respective areas”.
