ISLAMABAD (Kashmir English): The crucial talks between the government’s negotiation committee and Jammu and Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) will be held at the PC Hotel in Muzaffarabad today.
For the negotiations, the government’s negotiators, Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Rana Sanaullah, have left for Azad Kashmir’s capital.
Moreover, PPP leader and former prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf and Qamar Zaman Kaira have already reached Muzaffarabad last night, while Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs Engineer Amir, who also heads the government’s negotiators, will not be able to attend the talks due to his visit to Gilgit-Baltistan.
According to sources, the talks will begin soon after the federal ministers arrive.
The talks will be hosted by the Chief Secretary of Azad Kashmir, Khushal Khan, and representatives of the Joint Public Action Committee will also attend the talks.
Major progress is expected in the talks as the JAAC has called for a protest on June 9 if unresolved issues are not addressed.
Earlier on Friday, the Chief Secretary issued formal invitations to core members of the JAAC, including Shaukat Nawaz Mir, and the government’s negotiators for a meeting scheduled for 11 am on May 30 in Muzaffarabad.
The invitation states that discussions will focus on the issue of reserved seats for refugees of Jammu and Kashmir and other pending matters.
The meeting has gained significant importance as the Joint Awami Action Committee has already announced a protest call for June 9 if unresolved issues are not addressed.
Federal ministers say that they will try to provide relief to the Kashmiri people and resolve the issue as much as possible.
Earlier on May 11, the federal government’s negotiating committee met with the JAAC, where both failed to reach an agreement to end its proposed strike call for June 9.
The government’s representatives say that out of the 38-point Charter of Demand of the JAAC, 37 points have either been fully implemented or practical progress is underway, while only one point is related to the seats of refugees residing in Pakistan, which is a constitutional matter and is under consideration in the Constitutional Committee.
It is being emphasized at the government and administrative levels that the talks aim to reduce tension and restore an atmosphere of mutual trust. According to political and administrative circles, these talks are of utmost importance in the context of the ongoing situation in the region.
