LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has urged the protesters in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) to end their sit-ins and engage in meaningful dialogue with the government.
Chairing a PML-N meeting in Lahore, Nawaz reviewed the political and administrative situation in AJK hit by mass protests and strikes over abolition of 12 seats for migrants in the AJK Legislative Assembly, inflation, electricity pricing and subsidies.
“Such a situation should never have been allowed to arise,” Nawaz said, adding: “This country belongs to all of us, and we must live together like brothers.”
He expressed profound grief over the loss of civilian and law enforcement lives. He also called for resolution of grievances within the framework of the constitution. He emphasised that under the AJK’s 1974 Interim Constitution, citizens already enjoy full civil liberties and have legal avenues to seek their rights without resorting to violence.
Nawaz Sharif warned that prolonged instability in the strategically sensitive border territory could be exploited by external adversaries. “We must not become part of any action that strengthens the nefarious designs of our enemy forces,” he said.
Reaffirming his party’s traditional stance on the Kashmir dispute, he said that the PML-N remains committed to Kashmiris’ right to self-determination in accordance with United Nations resolutions.
He commended the patience shown by state authorities and security institutions during the crisis and urged the public to maintain peace while preserving their ideological bonds with Pakistan.
In the meeting, prayers were made for those killed during the recent agitation in the AJK.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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