ISLAMABAD (Kashmir English): Jammu and Kashmir refugees residing in Pakistan have established two key committees to hold talks with the federal government following the recent decision regarding the refugees’ representation in the Azad Kashmir Legislative Assembly.
In late September, the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) staged a protest demanding the abolition of 12 legislative assembly seats reserved for refugees from India-held Kashmir settled in Pakistan and several other reforms in governance.
For that, the government held successful talks with the protestors and decided to form a high-powered committee comprising legal and constitutional experts to deliberate on the issue of abolition of seats from the AJK Assembly.
The body will comprise two legal experts, each from the Centre, the AJK government, and the JAAC, the agreement reads.
Following the agreement, the Jammu and Kashmir refugees have decided to hold negotiations with the government to put forward their stance on the matter and their demands.
In this regard, the refugees have formed a five-member coordination committee that comprises Chaudhry Akbar Ibrahim, Akmal Sargala, Majid Khan, Ahmed Raza Qadri, and Saleem Butt.
The committee will hold talks with the federal government, the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), and the federal negotiation committee, which, earlier this month, participated in successful talks with JAAC.
According to sources, a legal committee has also been formed to provide constitutional and judicial guidance on the matters of J&K refugees.
The members of this committee include Syed Nazir Gilani, Farhat Ali Mir, and Sardar Raziq Advocate.
Sources added that both committees will work jointly to represent the concerns and legal position of the refugees during the discussions with the federal government.
