LAHORE: Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan’s Majlis-e-Shura has decided to establish a Grand Kashmir Peace Jirga to facilitate dialogue between the government and the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) in an effort to restore peace and normalcy in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
The decision was taken at a meeting of the party’s Central Majlis-e-Shura chaired by JI Emir Hafiz Naeem Ur Rehman at Mansoora on Sunday. The Jirga will engage both the government and the JAAC, with the restoration of peace and the resolution of issues in AJK identified as its top priorities.
To oversee the initiative, Rehman constituted a committee headed by JI Deputy Emir Liaqat Baloch. The committee includes JI AJK Emir Dr Muhammad Mushtaq Khan and former AJK JI chiefs Abdul Rashid Turabi and Dr Khalid Mahmood. Hafiz Naeem Ur Rehman also indicated that the committee would be expanded to include former civil bureaucrats, retired judges, ex-military officials and members of civil society from AJK.
Addressing the meeting, the JI chief urged the federal government to initiate negotiations without delay to restore normalcy in the region. He said dialogue was the only viable way to resolve the ongoing crisis and prevent further deterioration of the situation.
The Shura expressed deep concern over the prevailing situation in AJK, warning that continued unrest could adversely affect the broader Kashmir cause. It reiterated that no compromise could be made on the Kashmir issue, stating that countless Pakistanis and Kashmiris had sacrificed their lives for the cause.
Rehman described Kashmir as Pakistan’s jugular vein and said the state should act like a caring guardian by embracing aggrieved citizens instead of allowing tensions to escalate. Referring to the security challenges in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he cautioned that Pakistan could not afford another internal conflict in AJK.
He announced that the expanded committee would soon visit Rawalakot to meet JAAC leaders and make every possible effort to bring the situation under control through dialogue.
Commenting on the controversy surrounding the 12 reserved seats in the AJK Legislative Assembly, Rehman acknowledged that some of the protesters’ concerns were legitimate. However, he stressed that representation of refugees from Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and the occupied territory itself in the assembly could not be abolished.
He said the issue of the reserved seats should be resolved through negotiations and expressed confidence that a workable solution could be found. “No one is bigger or smaller. The government should set aside stubbornness and ego and engage in meaningful dialogue,” he said, adding that Jamaat-e-Islami had no political interest in the dispute and was acting solely to protect peace and safeguard the Kashmir cause.
The JI chief also said the party could not remain a silent spectator while blood was being shed in AJK, emphasizing that further violence must be prevented at all costs.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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