Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry on Friday night announced that the final round of negotiations with the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) had begun and an agreement was slated to be signed soon, in a bid to end ongoing unrest in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

Talks between the JAAC, the AJK government and federal ministers over elite privileges and reserved seats for refugees broke down last week. Rival groups have 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.

A fresh round of talks between a high-level government delegation and a civil society alliance was held yesterday, followed by another one today.

Chaudhry, who is in Muzaffarabad as part of the federal government’s delegation, took to X and stated that matters between the two sides had been settled.

“[The] final agreement is expected to be signed soon [and] the final round of negotiations is underway,” the federal minister wrote. “Public interests and peace are our priority.”

Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said earlier that the government negotiating team was very close to an agreement with the JAAC.

Speaking on Geo News programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada ke Saath’, the minister said that the government delegation, made up of members from both the PPP and PMLN, has nearly reached a consensus on a possible agreement.

“Both sides are currently studying the proposal,” Iqbal said. “I am hopeful that an agreement will be signed soon.”

The planning minister called this “a victory for Pakistan and AJK” and that plots to sow discord and create violence had been foiled. He also gave credit to the JAAC leadership for coming to the table.

“This entire episode should serve as a lesson for our system of governance: we need to understand what has changed in Pakistan’s society. If we cannot respond to these changes, then there will be gaps that can be exploited. We have to be more responsive.”

Earlier, Chaudhry said in a post on X that the government’s committee was holding a second round of talks with the JAAC representatives in Muzaffarabad.

“We fully support the rights of the people of Kashmir,” he said, maintaining that most of their demands, which were in public interest, had already been accepted.

“Constitutional amendments are required to fulfil the remaining few demands and talks are ongoing regarding that.

“We believe that violence is not the solution to any problem. We hope that the Action Committee will resolve all issues through peaceful dialogue,” the minister said.

In an earlier post, he shared that PPP leader Raja Pervez Ashraf,
Senator Rana Sanaullah, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Religious Affairs Minister Sardar Yousaf, Adviser to Prime Minister on Kashmir Affairs Qamar Zaman Kaira, Masood Ahmed and Kashmir Affairs Minister Amir Muqam Chaudhry himself were part of the government’s negotiating team.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had expressed deep concern over the unrest in AJK, directing the negotiation committee to immediately proceed to the AJK capital and find an immediate and lasting solution to the issues.

A shutter-down strike has paralysed AJK under a communications blackout since the start of this week as the JAAC continues to press its demands.

HRCP sounds alarm

Meanwhile, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has said it is
“deeply alarmed by the ongoing violence in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), where reportedly at least nine people, including three police officers, have lost their lives and hundreds have been injured during protests”.

“We strongly condemn the use of excessive force and the deaths of civilians and law enforcers alike as well as communication blackouts,” the HRCP posted on X.

It underlined that while “dialogue is essential, it cannot be meaningful amid the continued political disenfranchisement of the region’s people. The right to peaceful protest must be upheld and grievances addressed transparently”.

“We urge both the federal and AJK governments to avoid further escalation, respect people’s fundamental rights and commit to genuine, inclusive negotiations. To this end, HRCP intends to send a fact-finding mission to AJK as soon as possible to assess the situation,” it added.

People of AJK freely enjoy their civil, political rights: FO

Commenting on the protests, the Foreign Office said the people of AJK freely enjoy their civil and political rights and actively participate in shaping their democratic future.

“Pakistan remains firmly committed to upholding their dignity, safeguarding their rights, including the right to peaceful assembly and protest, respecting their sentiments, and advancing their socio-economic development,” it added.

“This commitment reflects not only our constitutional responsibility but also our enduring moral obligation to the people of Jammu and Kashmir.”

However, it noted that in stark contrast, “our brothers and sisters in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) continue to face a grim reality under occupation”.

“The use of brute force, denial of fundamental freedoms, and systematic and grave human rights violations have become the hallmark of India’s state-sponsored terrorism against the innocent Kashmiri people to suppress their just struggle. Efforts to silence dissent, demographic engineering, and the denial of civil liberties underscore the severity of the situation,” it continued.

it said that rather than casting unwarranted aspersions on AJK, India must reckon with its obligations under international law and the UN Charter.

“India must respect the inalienable rights of the Kashmiri people, most importantly their fundamental right to self-determination, as enshrined in the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions. Pakistan believes that the path to lasting peace and stability in South Asia lies in the resolution of the Kashmir dispute,” it concluded.

Additional reporting by Abdullah Momand