Azad Kashmir government suspends weekend holidays amid emergency response to Indian aggression

In a decisive move reflective of escalating tensions and emergency preparedness, the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government has suspended Saturday and Sunday holidays until further notice, following a high-level meeting chaired by AJK Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq.

The directive, confirmed through an official notification, comes in the wake of increasing hostilities near the Line of Control (LoC) and the mounting need for a coordinated emergency response.

In the emergency session, officials from the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA), Public Health, Home Department, and other relevant bodies briefed the Prime Minister on the current security and humanitarian situation.

As a result, the Prime Minister ordered SDMA to declare an immediate state of emergency, instructing the allocation of all available resources to tackle what was described as a 'war-like situation.'

Reviewing the operations of Emergency Response Centers across districts, PM Anwarul Haq expressed satisfaction with the ongoing disbursement of compensation to the families of citizens martyred in recent Indian aggression. He directed cabinet ministers to oversee the relief and compensation efforts in their respective constituencies to ensure transparency and swift support to affected communities.

To bolster medical response in conflict-hit areas, three all-terrain ‘Four by Four’ ambulances have been dispatched to Neelum Valley, with another deployed to BHU Nausda, a health facility situated close to the LoC.

“This is not business as usual,” said PM Haq, stressing that extraordinary circumstances require extraordinary preparedness. The suspension of weekend holidays is aimed at keeping all government departments fully mobilised to respond to the crisis.