- Speaks to AJK PM, directs PML-N regional office-bearers to engage with protestors leaders
- President also urge all stakeholders to exercise restraint, resolve issues through dialogue
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif convened a high-level meeting on Monday (tomorrow) to discuss the ongoing situation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), urging all parties to adopt a peaceful course of action to resolve the demands.
PM Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday expressed deep concern over the ongoing situation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and highlighted the importance of a peaceful course of action to resolve problems.
A day earlier, clashes broke out between protesters and law enforcement personnel during a protest against the increase in electricity tariffs in Mirpur.
A sub-inspector was martyred and 16 police officials including a station house officer (SHO) were injured.
He also spoke to the Prime Minister of AJK and directed all PML-N office bearers in the region to engage with the leaders of the action committee to find a peaceful resolution.
“Despite the efforts of detractors, the matter is expected to be settled soon,” he said.
The prime minister emphasised that while debate, discussion, and peaceful protests were beauties of democracy, there was no tolerance for taking the law into one’s own hands and damaging government properties.
“Unfortunately in situations of chaos and dissent, there are always some, who rush in to score political points,” he wrote on his X timeline.
Zardari urges to resolve issues through dialogue
Meanwhile, President Asif Ali Zardari also urged all the stakeholders to exercise restraint and resolve the issues in AJK through dialogue and mutual consultation.
According to a press release from the President’s Secretariat, he added that the political parties, state institutions and the people of AJK should act responsibly so that hostile elements could not exploit the situation to their benefit.
The president expressed these views during a meeting with a delegation of members of the AJK Legislative Assembly belonging to Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP), who called on him, at Aiwan-e-Sadr on Sunday.
The delegation briefed the president about recent happenings and unfortunate developments in AJK.
Talking to members of the AJK Legislative Assembly, Zardari highlighted that the demands of the people of AJK should be addressed as per law. He said that he would take up/discuss the grievances of the people of AJK with PM Shehbaz to find a way out of the current situation.
The president emphasised that priority should be accorded to the socio-economic uplift of AJK, with special focus on the development of health, education, tourism and infrastructure. He underlined the need to bring the far-flung areas at par with other developed areas of the country.
The president regretted the current situation and offered condolences over the unfortunate death of the police officer and prayed for swift recovery of all those who were injured in recent clashes.
PML-N decides to engage with Joint Action Committee
The PML-N AJK also unanimously decided to actively engage with the AJK’s Joint Action Committee, for resolving issues through negotiations.
The leadership of PML-N AJK held an urgent meeting, with Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Engineer Amir Muqam in the chair, to thoroughly deliberate on the present situation in AJK.
The federal minister stressed the importance of the PML-N and other parties in peaceful resolving the issue. He affirmed commitment to address the concerns of Kashmiris and vowed to contribute positively in any capacity possible.
The meeting also called upon the AJK government to actively participate in resolving the problem.
Earlier in the day, the central leadership of the Azad Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (AAC) dissociated from violent incidents between protestors and police in AJK.
Members of the committee reiterated their commitment to conducting a peaceful movement and declared that any propaganda against the state of Pakistan on social media is ‘utterly unacceptable’.
“The insidious Indian media is fabricating baseless allegations to conceal the atrocities in Occupied Kashmir, which are devoid of any connection with reality” the committee stated.
Last week, several of the AAC members were arrested by police in Muzaffarabad and Mirpur divisions. The committee announced a shutter-down and wheel-jam strike on Friday and AJK police blocked the arteries leading to Muzaffarabad and resorted to baton charge and teargas shelling to disperse the protesters on Saturday.
As the crackdown against the protesters continued, several people were taken into custody from different parts of the region.
