Tariq Fazal warns against attempts to fuel unrest in AJK

Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry on Sunday said that no one will be allowed to create a law-and-order situation or fuel uncertainty in Azad Kashmir.

Addressing a news conference in Islamabad, alongside Azad Kashmir political leaders Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan and Nabeela Ayoub, he said that issues can be resolved through dialogue.

He further said that 35 of the 38 demands put forward by the banned Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) of Azad Kashmir have been implemented, and the government is ready to discuss the remaining ones as well.

Regarding the committee’s demand to abolish the 12 assembly seats reserved for Kashmiri refugees, Dr Tariq said the government had requested the committee to either take the matter to an All Parties Conference, hold a debate in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, file a reference in the Supreme Court of Azad Kashmir, or postpone its protest call scheduled for Tuesday.

He said, unfortunately, the committee rejected all these proposals.

Highlighting the clauses of the agreement already implemented, Dr Tariq said: “The government had withdrawn around 170 First Information Reports, reinstated suspended government employees who had taken part in violent protests, waived electricity bills for the affectees of Mangla Dam, and initiated e-tendering for electricity meters.”

He said the feasibility study for the Kahuta-Azad Pattan Road has been completed, while provisions relating to improved flour quality and enhanced internet services have also been implemented. He added that the PC-I for an efficient garbage collection system costing 2.7 billion rupees has been completed, and the Azad Kashmir Cabinet has approved amendments to local government laws.

The minister said a concessional tariff for consumers with a five-kilowatt load has been notified.

He, however, said the committee has yet to propose a mechanism to assist the government in curbing electricity theft, as envisaged under the agreement.

“Notifications have been issued regarding the scheduling of the Bank of Azad Jammu and Kashmir with the State Bank of Pakistan and the establishment of two new federal boards in Poonch Division and Muzaffarabad,” he said.

Dr Tariq said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has already directed the launch of the health card scheme in Azad Kashmir, Islamabad, and Gilgit-Baltistan. He said the installation of MRI and CT scan machines at District Headquarters Hospitals is nearing completion.

The minister said that 10 billion rupees have been allocated under the PSDP 2026-27 for the upgradation of the electricity system in Azad Kashmir. He added that efforts are also underway to make Mirpur Airport operational.

Dr Tariq further said that the demand for reducing the size of the cabinet and rationalizing government departments has also been fulfilled.

Commending the implementation of 35 demands, Sardar Attique emphasized that dialogue should continue to address the remaining issues. He recalled that five of the six members of the first Azad Kashmir cabinet, formed by the Muslim Conference on 24 October 1947, were refugees.

He said the rights granted to refugees under the framework of Azad Kashmir’s revolutionary government had no connection with the Legislative Assembly. He maintained that these rights were enshrined in the fundamental principles of the revolutionary government and can never be revoked under any circumstances.

Sardar Attique said Pakistan has consistently advocated the Kashmiris’ right to self-determination, and it would be contradictory to deny the same right to refugees. He warned that any attempt to undermine refugees’ rights will adversely affect the Kashmir issue at the international level.

Nabeela Ayoub said the relationship between the people of Azad Kashmir and Pakistan is strong and enduring. She said no pressure group should be allowed to weaken these ties.

She urged the people of Azad Kashmir not to become part of any unintentional process that can harm the Kashmir cause.