JKJAAC announces long march on AJK Assembly after talks stall

MUZAFFARABAD: The Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC) on Monday announced a long march on the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly on June 9, after talks with a federal ministerial team failed to reach a breakthrough, organisers said.

The announcement followed a meeting of the committee’s core leadership in Muzaffarabad led by senior member Shaukat Nawaz Mir, who said the planned protest would proceed as scheduled after nine hours of negotiations ended without agreement.

Mir urged residents to stock at least one month of essential supplies ahead of June 9, saying participants from all divisions of AJK would converge on Muzaffarabad for what he described as a mass mobilisation.

He warned that the situation could escalate into a prolonged shutdown, saying a “lockdown may be extended further” if authorities took what he called any “adventurist step” before the planned march. He added that any such action could trigger an earlier shutdown.

Mir said daily wage earners would be the most affected in the event of prolonged unrest and urged communities to support vulnerable groups.

Earlier on Saturday, talks between the federal delegation and JKJAAC leadership ended without a breakthrough after more than nine hours of negotiations, officials and participants said.

The dialogue was convened to persuade JKJAAC to withdraw its strike call and resolve disputes over its charter of demands, including contentious political and governance issues in the region.

The federal delegation included senior ministers from the ruling coalition, while AJK political leaders and opposition representatives also participated in the discussions.

According to participants, 37 of the 38 points in JKJAAC’s charter of demands were discussed, with the main sticking point remaining the abolition of 12 legislative assembly seats reserved for refugees from India-held Kashmir.

The refugee seats have long been a political flashpoint in AJK politics, with parties divided over their continuation due to their electoral implications.

After a break in negotiations, talks resumed in the evening and continued until 11:20pm before concluding without resolution.

However, Federal Minister Rana Sanaullah said the dialogue process remained ongoing and had not collapsed.

“The negotiations have absolutely not failed; this process will continue,” he told reporters, adding that discussions had taken place in a constructive atmosphere and that proposals had been exchanged.

He said an all-parties conference would be convened to further discuss the matter, with another round of talks expected on June 6 or 7.

Political observers say prolonged agitation in AJK could complicate preparations for expected general elections in the region later this year, adding pressure on already sensitive political negotiations.

JKJAAC has previously led large-scale protests over governance and resource distribution issues in the region, periodically bringing parts of AJK to a standstill.