Govt, AJK Awami Action Committee hold second round of talks – HUM News

MUZAFFARABAD: The second round of negotiations between the federal government’s delegation and the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) of Azad Jammu and Kahmir is under way in Muzaffarabad in an effort to end the ongoing unrest in the territory.

Protests in AJK entered their fourth day on Friday, with shutter-down strike and wheel-jam protests continuing across the region.

Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had expressed deep concern over the situation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and ordered a transparent inquiry into the violent incidents. He had also appealed to the AJK citizens to remain peaceful.

At least 10 people have been killed and dozens critically injured in violent clashes between protesters and security forces in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, officials and local sources said.

The government delegation and representatives of the JAAC held talks on Thursday, followed by another round on Friday.

Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said the government fully supports the rights of the Kashmiri people, adding that most of the public interest demands have already been accepted, while a few require constitutional amendments, which are under discussion.

According to sources, Senator Rana Sanaullah, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Religious Affairs Minister Sardar Yousaf, Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, PPP leader Qamar Zaman Kaira, and Federal Minister for Kashmir affairs and Gilgit Baltistan on behalf of the federal government, while former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and former AJK president Sardar Masood Khan are also part of the dialogue.

The AJK government’s committee is being represented by JAAC leader Shaukat Nawaz Mir, Raja Amjad Advocate and Anjum Zaman.

Tariq Fazal Chaudhry reiterated that violence is no solution and expressed hope that the JAAC would agree to resolve all issues through peaceful dialogue.

The talks come after a four-day shutter-down strike and communications blackout that crippled AJK, as the JAAC continued to press its demands.

Last week, negotiations between the JAAC and federal ministers deadlocked over issues relating to elite privileges and reserved seats for refugees.

Following the breakdown, JAAC staged protests and held authorities responsible for violence.

Earlier, the federal government and the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) governments had invited the JAAC to resume talks.

Speaking at a joint press conference with AJK Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwar-ul-Haq, Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said that the AJK government had accepted 90 per cent of the committee’s demands in the presence of federal representatives.

He said that he and Ameer Maqam had given assurances that those demands would be implemented.

Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said that negotiators held talks with the JAAC for 12 hours but reached a deadlock over two demands — ending seats reserved for migrants and reducing the number of ministries in AJK — which would require amendments to the AJK constitution.