PM Shehbaz meets President Zardari, discusses GB polls, AJK situation

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari discussed the recent elections in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and the turbulent situation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) during a meeting on Monday.

According to a statement issued by the Presidential House, the two leaders also discussed national security, the economy, the next federal budget and the regional situation.

“Discussions also covered the recent UK elections, law and order situation in AJK and other issues of national importance,” the statement said.

The statement added that while discussing the budget proposals and public relief measures, President Zardari stressed the need to prioritize public welfare, provincial rights and economic stability in the upcoming federal budget.

“The President directed that all efforts be made to align the growth rate and social welfare programs in the next budget,” the statement said.

During the meeting, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi briefed the President on his recent visit to Iran and the latest regional diplomatic engagements.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and Prime Minister’s Advisor on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah attended the meeting.

Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, AJK Prime Minister Raja Faisal Rathore and other political leaders were also present.

The meeting took place in the wake of deadly clashes in Rawalakot, AJK, where the recently banned Awami Joint Action Committee (JAAC) was staging a sit-in outside the Combined Military Hospital in Rawalakot. 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 Sunday’s protests. The JAAC, however, said in a statement on

Sunday’s clash came as the AJK government and JAAC witnessed a face-off, with the election date for AJK announced for July 27.

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.

The JAAC called a major demonstration on June 9 in Muzaffarabad, with caravans converging from across the region.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry on Sunday rejected claims that the JAAC agreement was not being implemented and said the government had fulfilled the vast majority of its commitments in AJK.