Muzaffarabad:
Negotiations between Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) and a federal government team temporarily stopped on Thursday despite high level efforts to draft the ongoing crisis in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
The federal delegation consisting of senior political figures Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, Ahsan Iqbal, Rana Sanaullah, Amir Muqam, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and others, arrived in Muzaffarabad for conversations with Jaac leaders Amjad Ali Khan, Shoukat Nawaz Mir and Anjum Zaman Awan Awan.
However, MIR announced that negotiations would not continue until the government lifted the interruption of communication and restored mobile and internet services. He added that the committee needed more internal consultations before resuming discussions later on Thursday night.
When we talk to the media in Muzaffarabad, government dealers, including Ahsan Iqbal, Amir Muqam and Qamar Zaman Caira, were optimistic about reaching an amicable solution to the ongoing situation on the territory.
“The dialogue was held in a constructive environment where both sides were listened to each other carefully,” team member and federal minister of Kashmir affairs Amir Muqam told the media after the meeting.
Caira described the situation as “serious and regarding,” but emphasized that the government was standing with the people of AJK for their legitimate demands. “Problems need to be solved at the table, not on the streets. Our desire is clear: Solve this crisis through dialogue, not confrontation.”
AJK is paralyzed by a protest strike called by Jaac to press for his various demands. On Wednesday, violence between protesters and police broke in several places, leaving at least nine people dead – including three policemen – according to the AJK government.
The AJK prime minister, together with the federal minister of parliamentary affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, dealt with a joint press conference Wednesday and urged Jaac to participate in dialogue. They warned that violence would not solve anything and only lead to further blood embrace.
The team traveled to Muzaffarabad about the instructions of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who expressed deep concern about the escalating situation in AJK, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s office wing.
To abuse tension, Shehbaz sent a high -level negotiation committee that was tasked with seeking both immediate and long -term solutions. He appealed to people to remain peaceful and assured them that the government was ready to tackle their complaints, the statement says.
“The delegation includes senior PML-N leaders Rana Sanaullah, Ahsan Iqbal, Amir Muqam, Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudhry and Sardar Yousaf, as well as PPP leaders Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Qamar Zaman Kaira and former Ajk-President Sardar Masood Ahmed,” The committee would present its recommendations without delay, it added.
Shehbaz instructed the law enforcement authorities to exercise restraint, show patience and respect public feelings. “Unnecessary strength must be avoided,” he said, calling for transparent studies of the “unfortunate events” reported during the protests. He also ordered immediate relief to families affected by the turmoil
Meanwhile, convoys from all over AJK converge on Muzaffarabad in long marches. A convoy from Rawalakot reached Kohala, but tensions flared as protesters encountered roadblocks near Dulai, where the road had been dug up to prevent their progress.
Overall, the situation remained unstable with conflicting accident reports. The government confirmed nine deaths from Wednesday’s violence – six civilians and three police staff from Islamabad. However, Jaac claimed that the death among protesters exceeded 11. Due to the continued communication interruption, these figures could not be confirmed independently.
International rights groups also expressed concern. Amnesty International called on the government to protect the right to peaceful assembly, refrain from excessive power against non-violent protesters and immediately lift communication restrictions.
Adding to the turmoil, police in Islamabad cracked down on a solidarity protest outside the National Press Club of Jaac’s Rawalpindi Islamabad chapter and Kashmiri lawyers. Witnesses reported Baton charges and arrests where police even scale the press club ports.
Defense Minister Khawaja Asif issued a separate appeal for calm in AJK. In a post on X, he reminded the protesters of the long victims made by three generations in Indian illegally possessed Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
“What you have today is far more than they could even imagine,” he said, pointing to those who had spent lifetime in prisons, faced bullets and embraced martyrdom in persecution of freedom. He added that Pakistan’s armed forces – Punjabis, Pashtuns, Sindhis, Baloch, Gilgitis and Baltis – had all thrown blood in Kashmir’s wars.
(With input from app)
