According to him, “a path of peace and well-being will certainly be found” if violence is abandoned
Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry addresses a press conference in Islamabad on Sunday. SCREENSHOT
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry on Monday called on the recently banned Awami Joint Action Committee (JAAC) to abandon its alleged violence and adopt constitutional means to meet its demands, while asserting that there were no direct talks underway with the group, although the Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir was urged to try.
Tensions have increased in AJK following recent deadly clashes that have given rise to conflicting narratives over casualties, governance grievances and political legitimacy. Official sources have confirmed at least seven deaths.
Officials said that despite allegations of peaceful intentions, some elements continued to engage in violent activity. The same elements, they added, have previously been involved in damage to public property and attacks that resulted in martyrdoms and injuries among security personnel.
Addressing a press conference outside Parliament, Chaudhry urged the JAAC to refrain from a violent course of action and resolve issues through dialogue and negotiations, stressing that differences should be resolved through peaceful engagement rather than confrontation.
“Now that the JAAC is banned, the government is no longer conducting direct negotiations with the committee. »
However, Chaudhry said the government would have “no reservations” if AJK Prime Minister Faisal Rathore, who he said was a “dynamic youth” and very active in the situation, tried to resolve the issue indirectly.
“There should be no violence. There should be no loss of human life,” he said, once again calling on the JAAC to abandon the path of resistance and confrontation. “Certainly, we will find a path that will be that of peace and well-being.”
Speaking about the sit-in, the minister asked the protesters to give peace a chance, as the loss of lives “related to the 12 seat issue” was incomprehensible and irrational.
He said the government had taken significant steps to address protesters’ concerns, saying at least 35 of their 38 demands had been met.
The federal minister explained that the abandonment of three requests was due to the fact that the matter was pending before the courts.
Outlining steps taken to restore stability in the region, Chaudhry highlighted that the government closed 170 first information reports (FIRs) against protesters and compensated the families of those who lost their lives on par with those of law enforcement agencies.
He also said the government had offered jobs to aggrieved family members of the victims who died on the day of the protest.
“We have reduced the size of the AJK cabinet from 36 to 20 in accordance with the agreement reached between the conflicting parties, while accepting demands which were completely non-negotiable,” the minister stressed, adding that ministries have also been reduced from 32 to 22.
Regarding the issue of 12 migrant seats, Chaudhry urged the JAAC to seek political, legislative or judicial discourse, emphasizing that this provision was protected by the AJK interim constitution.
He lamented that the call for the long march was not postponed by the JAAC despite repeated requests from the government, which ultimately led to violence and unrest in the valley.
“Four members of the security forces, including one from the Frontier Corps (FC), lost their lives in the unrest,” he recalled.
Chaudhry further said that the scenes witnessed in AJK were deeply distressing for its people, as well as all Pakistanis.
A day ago, Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, whose party is in power in AJK, made a direct appeal to the protesters and urged them to end their demonstrations peacefully and bring their protest activities to a “peaceful conclusion”.
He warned that the situation created an “unnecessary opportunity” for hostile actors and the “India-Israel nexus” to exploit the developments for their own purposes.
Background
The recent unrest and deadly clashes broke out in certain areas, notably in Rawalakot, where the JAAC had organized a sit-in in front of the Rawalakot Combined Military Hospital. AJK police say armed JAAC members opened fire on security forces deployed during a planned attack, leaving four people dead and around 20 injured. The JAAC, however, disputes this version, saying that security forces used tear gas and fired shells towards the hospital.
According to the AJK Police, three individuals linked to the JAAC and four law enforcement personnel were killed during the protests. The JAAC, however, said in a statement on
The clash occurred as the AJK government and JAAC witnessed a face-off with the election date for AJK being announced for July 27.
Learn more: Some elements seeking to create instability within AJK despite repeated offers for dialogue: Rana Sanaullah
The 53-member AJK Legislative Assembly has 12 seats reserved for Kashmiri refugees, people who fled Indian-controlled Kashmir in 1947 and 1965 and are now scattered across Pakistan. Six seats represent refugees from the Jammu division (~434,000 people) and six from the Kashmir Valley (~30,000 people) – an already lopsided arrangement that many see as unfair.
The region experienced one of its most turbulent periods in October last year, when JAAC-led protests erupted demanding constitutional and governance reforms. At least nine people, including three police officers, were killed during the unrest.
The JAAC, which organized the protests and strike, had presented a broad charter of demands, including an end to the privileges enjoyed by the ruling elite, the removal of 12 assembly seats reserved for refugees and the abolition of the quota system.
Two days after the violence, the government and the JAAC reached an agreement on 12 basic points and 13 additional points. Under the agreement, both sides agreed to constitute a high-level committee to look into the issue of refugee seats in the AJK Legislative Assembly.
Learn more: Four policemen martyred, over 20 injured in Rawalakot shooting: AJK Police
The unrest also sparked political upheaval in the region. The PPP then moved a no-confidence resolution against the then Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq, with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz joining the effort. Haq, elected in April 2023 with 48 votes, chose to face the vote rather than resign.
On 17 November, Rathore received 36 votes in the elections and became the 16th Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
With elections approaching and the refugee seat issue still unresolved, the AJK government has convened an All Party Conference (APC) in Muzaffarabad to reach a consensus. Almost all major parties were present – except the PTI and JAAC, which boycotted it.
The JAAC’s position is that the government had already rejected its written proposals submitted on May 30 and therefore there would be no point in attending. He had proposed either maintaining token representation of refugees until the Kashmir conflict is finally resolved or replacing the 12 seats in the Assembly with 4 seats in the AJK Council – a body chaired by the Prime Minister, which he said would better preserve the political dimension of the Kashmir cause.
The APC rejected any changes outside the constitutional and legislative framework, saying only the elected assembly could change the distribution of refugee seats. The JAAC called the resolution “a page and a half of utterly trivial lines” and accused participants of coming together to serve their own interests rather than those of the public.
