- Fazl calls on the government to review protesters’ charter of demands.
- Sanaullah accuses the banned committee of blocking AJK polls.
- Bilawal urges PM to check ministers over AJK controversy.
ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly witnessed sharp criticism of the federal government over the ongoing Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) unrest on Wednesday, which claimed several lives, including law enforcers, and injured dozens.
Speaking on the NA floor, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman called for patience and tolerance and said many emotional statements had been made in the House, including by Speaker Ayaz Sadiq himself.
“When the government’s response becomes emotional, it does not suit the stature of the government,” he said.
The National Assembly took up the matter when Defense Minister Khawaja Asif was criticized for remarks he allegedly made about residents of AJK, prompting objections from both the PPP and JUI-F.
The unrest in AJK began ahead of a June 9 strike called by the JAAC in protest against the reservation of 12 seats for refugees in the July 27 elections for the region’s 45-seat legislative assembly. The refugees live in Pakistan after being expelled from India’s illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
Fazlur Rehman criticized Asif, saying his statements were unbecoming of a defense minister and would only increase tensions. “You have given fights to Khawaja Asif and reconciliation to Ishaq Dar,” he told the government.
He said he had received a formal letter from the Awami Action Committee and had forwarded it to the government but was yet to receive a reply.
He said the committee had shared its charter of demands and that protests should not be met with government action based on speeches alone. “Violence should not be used on the basis of speeches by protesters,” he said.
Welcoming the committee’s decision to postpone its planned march towards Muzaffarabad, Fazlur Rehman said he had responded to the committee’s letter via video message.
Bilawal lambast Asif
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, whose party is a coalition partner at the Centre, leveled sharp criticism at certain federal ministers, saying some were creating difficulties for the prime minister instead of helping solve problems.
“Why do we have ministers saying that the people of Rawalakot are not Kashmiris?” he demanded, adding that the responsible minister had still not apologised.
“A federal minister, instead of dousing the fire, poured more fuel on it,” Bilawal said, urging the prime minister to control his team. He said that space should be given to Maulana Fazl to play a mediating role in the resolution of the matter.
Bilawal also raised the issue of Karachi’s local government system, questioning whether the MQM-P considered Karachi more important than its political seats, and challenged coalition partners to bring Lahore’s municipal system to Karachi as well.
In a sharp warning directed at the MQM-P, Bilawal said that if the prime minister and the government did not accept their demands and offered only lollipops, they should quit the federal government. “How long are you going to go on this lollipop? Get out of the federal government,” he said.
On Gilgit-Baltistan, Bilawal said that PPP was forming a government there with the support of Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party and PML-N and announced that local government elections in GB would be held within 90 days.
Sanaullah accuses the committee of blocking elections
Reacting on behalf of the government, PML-N Senator Rana Sanaullah said the banned Awami Action Committee had adopted a path of arson and violence in Kashmir a year ago, presenting 38 demands at that time – all of which he claimed had been worked on.
He said that AJK residents continued to receive electricity at Rs3.50 per unit despite significantly higher prices in the rest of Pakistan and that Rs10 billion had been provided to address electricity-related issues. He added that wheat subsidies were also provided to AJK.
Sanaullah said the committee’s current demand to remove 12 refugee seats in the AJK Assembly was a constitutional and legal matter and a six-member committee had been formed to make recommendations to the AJK government on the issue. He accused the banned committee of rejecting several opportunities offered by the government, including participation in an all-party conference on refugee seats.
“The real purpose of the protest call is to stop the AJK election,” Sanaullah said, adding that the committee wanted the election blocked and used mob tactics to press its demands. “Disenfranchising refugees is a departure from the very purpose of the freedom movement,” he said.
He acknowledged that Fazl’s remarks on Kashmir carried weight, saying that Kashmir was Pakistan’s jugular vein and no room for misunderstanding should be allowed.
He said the government would welcome any mediating role Maulana chose to play. “The issue of seats will not be resolved through rallies and sit-ins,” he added.
