ISLAMABAD (Kashmir English): Azad Kashmir Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq on Wednesday once again invited the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) for negotiations amid escalating protests in the region.
Addressing a press conference at Jammu Kashmir House, the AJK premier and Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, emphasized the importance of negotiations in resolving disputes peacefully.
Both leaders said that successful negotiations were held with the committee members on the instructions of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Muzaffarabad to resolve the issues.
“An agreement was also reached to amend the constitution to approve two demands, but violent actions under the guise of protest are beyond comprehension,” the leaders maintained.
Despite this, the action committee resumed protests on September 29, which were unnecessary, they said.
The prime minister added that the government has accepted 90% of the action committee’s demands, with only two points remaining unresolved, related to the Legislative Assembly, specifically the abolition of seats reserved for refugees and the reduction in the number of ministers.
Haq expressed deep sadness over the loss of human lives, including three policemen martyred and over 100 injured. He urged the JAAC to end the protest and engage in meaningful dialogue.
The Prime Minister reiterated the government’s commitment to resolving issues through peaceful means, stating that violence only leads to chaos and achieves nothing.
He added that the government was ready to resume talks from the point where they had stalled, and cabinet members were present in Muzaffarabad and Rawalakot for the purpose.
He further said that the unfortunate incidents, including the burning of a school building during protests, demonstrated why dialogue was essential.
Meanwhile, Federal Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry also alleged that there was no need for protest in Azad Kashmir, as the majority of the demands had already been met.
He slammed the action committee for taking the protest into a dead end, warning that protests would not deliver results nor provide a solution.
He urged the action committee members to sit down for dialogue, reiterating that the government sought to resolve matters peacefully.
“We do not want violence in Azad Kashmir, nor do we want our enemy to benefit from it,” Chaudhry said. He warned that violent demonstrations would allow India to use such footage for its own propaganda.
