OPP warns that instability can be exploited by hostile elements, says dialogue and consensus remain the way forward
The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Sunday called on the Election Commission to withdraw the election schedule for 12 migrant seats, terming the announcement ahead of a protest call as “not an appropriate decision”.
The demand comes amid tensions following a call by the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) for widespread protests over the abolition of 12 seats in the legislature reserved for refugees from Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir who have settled on the Pakistani mainland.
A few days before the protest call, the AJK Election Commission on June 5 announced general elections to the Legislative Assembly scheduled to be held on July 27.
Read: Bilawal Bhutto calls on AJK protesters to end demonstrations peacefully
Addressing a press conference at Jammu Kashmir House after a meeting of the party’s core committee, PPP AJK President Chaudhry Muhammad Yasin said the timing of the election announcement was inappropriate.
“Issuing the election schedule for migrant seats just three days before a protest call was not an appropriate decision,” he said.
He added that under the prevailing circumstances it appeared difficult to hold elections and called for the withdrawal of the schedule to allow for further consultations.
“Elections in the current situation are not feasible and the Election Commission should review its decision and continue the consultation process,” Yasin said.
He said the party did not support confrontation or political conflict, stressing that human lives could not be placed under electoral considerations.
“OPP does not believe in confrontation. Twelve seats cannot be more valuable than human life,” he said.
Also read: AJK reinstates 177 FIRs against JAAC members over violation of Oct ’25 agreement
Yasin also warned that instability in the region could be exploited by hostile forces.
“Any instability in the region can be used by hostile elements, especially India, which is why all stakeholders must act responsibly,” he warned.
He said dialogue and political consensus remain the only viable way forward. “Dialogue and consensus are essential to reduce tensions and address the challenges facing the region,” he added.
The PPP leader said the party’s politics had always centered on the Kashmir issue and credited the PPP founders for elevating the issue internationally.
He said that during the past seven months, efforts had been made to resolve public issues and strengthen the democratic system, adding that 37 out of 38 demands of the Awami Action Committee had been implemented, while only the constitutional issue of migrant seats remained under consideration.
He further said that all sides had shown a positive response during the talks and added that only one week’s extension had been requested from the Awami Action Committee, which was not accepted.
He said significant food shortages were emerging in Azad Kashmir and warned that the region was facing insecurity and instability.
Read more: Certain elements seeking to create instability in AJK despite repeated offers of dialogue: Rana Sanaullah
“All outstanding issues can only be resolved through dialogue, political harmony and continuity of the democratic process,” he said.
Legislative Assembly Parliamentary Leader Sardar Muhammad Yaqoob Khan said all stakeholders should play their role in stabilizing the situation.
“Elections are not more important than human lives and hasty decisions have worsened the situation,” he said.
He called for the immediate withdrawal of the electoral plan to enable reconciliation.
Senior Minister Mian Abdul Waheed said protecting the state was the top priority.
“Azad Kashmir cannot afford any further tension or confrontation under the current circumstances,” he said.
He urged all parties to resolve the issue through dialogue and stressed that Pakistan and Kashmir remained inseparable.
“No force can create a rift between Pakistan and the Kashmiri people,” he said.
He said that unity among political parties, public and overseas Kashmiris was essential to avoid further deterioration of the situation.
He added that political differences must be set aside in favor of national and state interests and called for immediate consultations to consider postponing the elections.
Those present at the press conference included Parliamentary Leader Sardar Yaqoob, Senior Minister Mian Waheed, Cabinet Ministers Sardar Javed Ayub, Javed Iqbal Budhanvi, Sardar Zia-ul-Qamar or others.
Background
The recent unrest and deadly clashes in areas including Rawalakot where the recently banned Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) had staged a sit-in outside the Combined Military Hospital Rawalakot. AJK police claim that armed JAAC members opened fire on deployed law enforcers in a planned attack, leaving four people dead and around 20 injured. JAAC, however, disputes this account and claims that security forces used tear gas and fired grenades at the hospital.
According to the AJK police, three people associated with JAAC and four policemen were killed during the protests on Sunday. However, JAAC said in a statement on the X that seven people were killed and dozens were injured when street shelling was carried out in the dark after power was reportedly cut.
The clash on Sunday came as the AJK government and the JAAC witnessed a face-off when the election date for AJK was announced on July 27.
Read more: Certain elements seeking to destabilize AJK despite repeated offers of dialogue: Rana Sanaullah
AJK’s 53-member legislature includes 12 seats reserved for Kashmiri refugees – people who fled Indian-controlled Kashmir in 1947 and 1965 and are now spread 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 last October, when protests led by JAAC broke out over demands for constitutional and government reforms. At least nine people, including three policemen, were killed during the unrest.
JAAC, which organized the protests and strike, had presented a comprehensive charter of demands, including an end to the privileges enjoyed by the ruling elite, the abolition of 12 assembly spaces reserved for refugees and the abolition of the quota system.
Two days after the violence, the government and JAAC reached an agreement covering 12 core points and 13 additional points. Under the agreement, both sides agreed to set up a high-level committee to look into the issue of refugee seats in the AJK Legislative Assembly.
Read more: Four policemen martyred, over 20 injured in Rawalakot firing: AJK Police
The unrest also triggered political upheaval in the region. The PPP subsequently presented a no-confidence motion against the then Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq, with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz participating in the effort. Haq, who had been elected in April 2023 with 48 votes, chose to face the vote rather than resign.
On 17 November, Rathore secured 36 votes in the election and became the 16th Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
With elections now approaching and the refugee seat issue still unresolved, the AJK government convened an All Parties Conference (APC) in Muzaffarabad to build consensus. Almost all major parties participated – except PTI and JAAC, which boycotted it.
JAAC’s position is that the government had already rejected its written proposal submitted on May 30, so it would be futile to participate. It had proposed either to retain token refugee representation until the Kashmir dispute is permanently resolved, or to replace the 12 seats in the Assembly with 4 seats in the AJK Council – a body headed by the Prime Minister, which it argued would better preserve the political dimension of the Kashmir issue.
The APC rejected any change outside the constitutional and legislative framework, saying only the elected assembly could change refugee seating arrangements. The JAAC called the resolution “a page and a half of completely trivial lines” and accused participants of coming together to serve their own interests rather than those of the public.
