Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said on Saturday that the conspiracy hatched by the ill-wishers of Pakistan has failed in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and the government will fully implement the commitments it has made with the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC).

“The scenes that Pakistan’s ill-wishers wanted to see, the unrest, chaos and disorder in AJK, their conspiracy has failed. The federal government will fully implement the commitments it has made, and with the 15-day mechanism that has been established, I am confident that there will be no further opportunity for such grievances to arise again,” said the minister while addressing a press conference following the agreement between the two sides.

Iqbal was accompanied by Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Engineer Amir Muqam and PPP’s Qamar Zaman Kaira.

The signing of the agreement comes after two rounds of talks between the high-level government delegation and the JAAC in as many days.

Talks between the JAAC, the AJK government and federal ministers over elite privileges and reserved seats for refugees broke down last week. Since then, rival groups since staged protests, trading blame for violence that marred what began as a largely peaceful movement in AJK. Fierce clashes between protesters and law enforcers have left at least 10 people dead and scores critically injured in the territory.

Iqbal added that following the successful conclusion of talks between the two sides, peace has been restored in the region. Iqbal expressed satisfaction over the dialogue process and said it was “conducted keeping in view the interests of the people of Azad Kashmir and the interests of Pakistan”.

Acknowledging administrative weaknesses, the minister said government organs should be more responsive. “The people are now more aware, the media has made them more informed and their expectations have increased greatly.”

Kaira said following the agreement, the people of AJK “breathed a sigh of relief today” and added that the mechanism established must succeed as “we have no other option other than to ensure its success”.

A high-level federal government delegation earlier today signed an agreement with JAAC to end days of unrest in AJK, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif saying that “all issues have been resolved amicably”.

A day earlier, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) had said it was “deeply alarmed“ by the ongoing violence in AJK, and condemned the “use of excessive force” and the communications blackout.

In a post on social media platform X during the early hours of Saturday following day-long talks, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said — who was part of the government negotiating committee — said: “Our negotiation delegation has signed on a final agreement with the AJK Joint Action Committee. The protesters are returning to their homes. All roads have reopened.”

“This is a victory of peace. Long live Azad Kashmir,” the minister added. Chaudhry also shared a copy of the pact on X, which listed 12 “decisions” taken and 13 “additional points”.

Under the agreement, it was decided that first information reports (FIRs) would be registered under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) on the “incidents of violence and vandalism resulting into deaths of personnel belonging to LEAs (law enforcement agencies) and protestors”, with a judicial commission appointed where required.

“Persons killed in the incidents of October 1 and 2, 2025 shall be compensated with monetary benefits equivalent to LEAs,” the pact read, adding that gunshot injuries would be compensated with Rs1 million per person, while a government job would be granted to one of the family members of each dead person within 20 days.

Chaudhry, Kashmir Affairs Minister Amir Muqam, Interprovincial Coordination Minister Rana Sanaullah, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Religious Affairs Minister Sardar Yousaf, former adviser to prime minister on Kashmir affairs Qamar Zaman Kaira, ex-AJK president Masood Ahmed Khan and PPP leader Raja Pervez Ashraf were part of the government’s negotiating team.

From the AJK government’s side, Education Minister Diwan Ali Chugtai and Local Government Minister Faisal Rathore took part in the talks, according to a copy of the signed pact shared by Chaudhry.

Raja Amjad, Shaukat Nawaz Mir and Anjum Zaman Awan represented the JAAC.

On September 25, a deadlock emerged between the AJK government and the JAAC over the abolition of elite privileges and seats reserved for the Pakistan-based refugees from India-occupied Kashmir.

Subsequently, a shutter-down strike had paralysed AJK under a communications blackout since the start of this week as the JAAC continued for the acceptance of its 38-point charter of demands.

Conspiracies now stand buried as issues resolved amicably: PM Shehbaz

Welcoming the agreement, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in a statement said “all conspiracies and rumours now stand buried and issues have been resolved amicably”, state-run Radio Pakistan reported.

He appreciated the members of the federal government’s negotiation committee and the JAAC for signing the pact to “settle all issues”.

Terming it an achievement for Pakistan and AJK, the premier said the “restoration of peace and normalcy is a good gesture”, the report added.

PM Shehbaz asserted that the government “is ever ready to resolve issues of Kashmiri brethren as public interest and service are among our top priorities”.

He appealed to Kashmiris not to pay heed to rumours, affirming that the government had “always protected” their rights and will also ensure them in the future.

On Thursday, PM Shehbaz had expressed deep concern over the unrest in AJK, directing the negotiation committee to immediately proceed to Muzaffarabad and find an immediate and lasting solution to the issues.

‘Pakistan, AJK & democracy wins’: Ahsan Iqbal

Iqbal also welcomed the development, writing on X: “Pakistan, AJK and democracy wins.”

He stressed that the people of AJK had “always stood at the frontlines of Pakistan’s national cause, and their voice carries immense weight”.

Noting that the nation “saw a difficult situation emerge due to legitimate public concerns”, the planning minister commended the “wisdom of local and national leadership and the spirit of dialogue that enabled us to resolve this stand-off peacefully, without violence, without division, and with mutual respect”.

He highlighted that the resolution of the issue showed that “when the government listens, and when the people engage constructively, we can find solutions together”.

“The Joint Action Committee raised voice of citizens, and the government under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif took these voices seriously. Instead of confrontation, we chose consultation. Instead of egos, we chose empathy. We commit to work together for good governance and development in AJK,” Iqbal added.