Govt, JAAC talks make ‘headway’, draft may be signed today

MUZAFFARABAD: The second round of negotiations between the federal government delegation and the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) in Azad Jammu and Kashmir made significant progress, with a draft agreement likely to be signed today, officials said on Friday night.

Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit Baltistan, a member of the federal government’s negotiation team, said the draft could be signed later today. “Some elements want to exploit the situation in Azad and Jammau Kashmir, but we will not give the enemy any opportunity,” he told reporters in Muzaffarabad.

Senior PPP leader Qamar Zaman Kaira, who is also part of the talks, confirmed that “many issues were settled in the second round of negotiations” and expressed hope that an agreement could be finalised today.

“We support the legitimate demands of the JAAC,” Kaira said, adding that both sides had moved closer to resolving differences.

Federal Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said that consensus has been reached with the JAAC on an agreement, which will be signed soon.

He said the development marks a victory for Pakistan, the people of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and democracy. He said that a permanent committee has been formed under the supervision of the Kashmir Affairs Minister, which will meet every 15 days to review the implementation of JAAC demands.

Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry claimed that matters with the JAAC had been settled. He said the final agreement was expected to be signed soon, adding that the last round of talks was under way and that “public interest and peace remain our top priority.”

The talks were held between Senator Rana Sanaullah, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Religious Affairs Minister Sardar Yousaf, Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, PPP leader Qamar Zaman Kaira, Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit Baltistan, former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and former AJK president Sardar Masood Khan and JAAC leaders Shaukat Nawaz Mir, Raja Amjad Advocate and Anjum Zaman.

The talks come after a four-day shutter-down strike and communications blackout that crippled AJK, as the JAAC continued to press its demands.

Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had expressed deep concern over the situation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and ordered a transparent inquiry into the violent incidents. He had also appealed to the AJK citizens to remain peaceful.

At least 10 people have been killed and dozens critically injured in violent clashes between protesters and security forces in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, officials and local sources said.

Last week, negotiations between the JAAC and federal ministers deadlocked over issues relating to elite privileges and reserved seats for refugees.

Following the breakdown, JAAC staged protests and held authorities responsible for violence.

Earlier, the federal government and the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) governments had invited the JAAC to resume talks.

Speaking at a joint press conference with AJK Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwar-ul-Haq, Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said that the AJK government had accepted 90 per cent of the committee’s demands in the presence of federal representatives.