Sports Minister Asim Sharif Bhat sent his resignation directly to Haq to avoid media attention
MUZAFFARABAD:
Three Azad Jammu cabinet ministers and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq have announced their resignations, holding the prime minister responsible for the recent unrest in the region. Information Minister Pir Mazhar Saeed has already announced his resignation.
The ministers – Abdul Majid Khan, Asim Sharif Bhat and Chaudhry Akbar Ibrahim – alleged that Haq failed to protect the constitutional rights of the people of AJK and over 2.5 million Kashmiri refugees settled in Pakistan. They also asked the Prime Minister to resign.
In his resignation letter, Finance Minister Abdul Majid Khan stated that it was his solemn duty to reaffirm unwavering faith in the ideology of AJK’s accession and integration with Pakistan, “as a result of the final disposition of the J&K dispute, in accordance with the wishes of the entire population, including the 2.5 million J&K refugees”.
He strongly objected to the “unfair and ill-conceived demand” raised by the Jammu and Kashmir Joint Action Committee (JAAC) seeking to abolish 12 refugee seats in the AJK Legislative Assembly.
He said the campaign led by JAAC was “not only devoid of empathy, but rooted in a narrative of exclusion, anger and opportunism.”
He further maintained that the agreement between JAAC and representatives of the federal government was reached under pressure and without broader consensus, thereby undermining the fundamental rights of thousands of Kashmiri refugees.
Abdul Majid Khan won four consecutive elections from LA-45 Valley-VI (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) and is a descendant of the Jammu and Kashmir refugee community residing in Pakistan.
Food Minister Chaudhry Akbar Ibrahim said the Kashmiri refugees and their 12 assembly members “are not just political constituents but divided families and patriotic Pakistanis whose loyalty to the Kashmir cause and to Pakistan has remained unwavering despite decades of suffering”.
Ibrahim added that it had become “completely impossible for the undersigned to continue serving under the present government, which has failed to effectively secure the constitutional rights of the Kashmiri refugees and has shown neither ownership nor seriousness regarding this grave constitutional violation committed by them without lawful authority.”
Both ministers reaffirmed their commitment to defend the rights of Jammu and Kashmir refugees settled in Pakistan and pledged to continue raising their voice for their rightful place in the political and constitutional structure of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan.
The outgoing ministers, Khan and Ibrahim, in response to a question, said they had already written to President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal General Syed Asim Munir urging them to raise the issue.
They said the issue reflects the sentiments of over 2.5 million divided Kashmiris living across Pakistan’s four provinces. These Kashmiris, they said, believe in accession to Pakistan and their political rights must be protected in AJK.
Sports Minister Asim Sharif Bhat sent his resignation directly to Haq to avoid media attention.
