Nawaz urges AJK protesters to end sit-ins, engage in meaningful dialogue

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday urged protesters in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) to end their ongoing sit-ins and engage in meaningful dialogue with the government.

Chairing a party meeting in Lahore, he called to review the political and administrative situation in AJK, hit by mass protests and strikes over abolition of 12 seats for migrants in the AJK Legislative Assembly, inflation, electricity pricing and subsidies.

The situation in AJK has deteriorated into fatal clashes between security forces and protesters.

“Such a situation should never have been allowed to arise,” Sharif said, expressing profound grief over the loss of civilian and law enforcement lives.

“This country belongs to all of us, and we must live together like brothers.”

The former prime minister called on the region’s political leadership to resolve grievances within the framework of the constitution.

He emphasised that under the AJK’s 1974 Interim Constitution, citizens already enjoy full civil liberties and have legal avenues to seek their rights without resorting to violence.

Sharif warned that prolonged instability in the strategically sensitive border territory could be exploited by external adversaries.

“We must not become part of any action that strengthens the nefarious designs of our enemy forces,” he said.

Reaffirming his party’s traditional stance on the Kashmir dispute, Sharif said that the PML-N remains committed to Kashmiris’ right to self-determination in accordance with United Nations resolutions.

He commended the patience shown by state authorities and security institutions during the crisis and urged the public to maintain peace while preserving their ideological bonds with Pakistan.

The meeting, which included senior PML-N leadership from both Islamabad and Muzaffarabad, concluded with joint prayers for those killed during the recent agitation.