A delegation of the federal government and representatives of the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) agreed to end the days-long unrest in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), signing a final agreement that grants the protesters most of their demands in addition to promises to address the remaining issues.
In a statement on X, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry confirmed the development. He said the protesters would now return to their homes and all roads in AJK reopened.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif dispatched a committee comprising leaders of the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) to negotiate with the JAAC after the group’s previous talks with the AJK government and federal ministers over elite privileges and reserved seats for refugees broke down last week. Subsequently, rival groups took to the streets, trading blame for violence that has left at least 10 people dead and nearly 200 injured.
“This is a victory of peace. Long live Azad Kashmir,” Chaudhry stressed in his statement. He shared a copy of the agreement on X, listing 12 “decisions” and 13 “additional points” that had been agreed upon.
Under the agreement, police would register first information reports (FIRs) under the Anti-Terrorism Act on the “incidents of violence and vandalism resulting into deaths of personnel belonging to LEAs (law enforcement agencies) and protestors.” Authorities would also appoint a judicial commission where required.
“Persons killed in the incidents of [Oct. 1-2] shall be compensated with monetary benefits equivalent to LEAs,” it says, adding the injured would be compensated at Rs. 1 million per person while government jobs would be granted to a family member of each deceased within 20 days. It said a judicial commission headed by a high court judge would register FIRs in the incidents of Banjosa (Sept. 21), Muzaffarabad (Sept. 30 and Oct. 1), Plock (Oct. 1), Dhirkot (Oct. 1), Mirpur (Oct. 2) and Rian Kotli (Oct. 1).
It further calls for the release of all Kashmiri protestors arrested during various incidents in Rawalpindi and Islamabad on Oct. 2-3.
The agreement says the Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education will notify two additional intermediate and secondary educational boards for Muzaffarabad and Poonch Divisions within 30 days. It emphasizes that all admissions to educational institutions will be on “open merit” and not as per quotas.
The AJK government has agreed to issue funds for the implementation of a health card within 15 days. The federal government would fund, phased-wise, MRI and CT Scan machines for each AJK district.
A key demand of the protesters accepted in the deal is the reduction of the AJK cabinet to 20 ministers/advisers. The number of administrative secretaries would also not exceed 20. “Mergers like the departments of Civil Defense with the State Disaster Management Authority will be carried out for this purpose,” it states, adding the Ehtesab Bureau and Anti-Corruption Establishment shall also be merged as well and AJK’s Ehtesab Bureau Act brought in accordance with National Accountability Bureau laws.
The federal government has pledged to provide Rs. 10 billion for the improvement of Azad Kashmir’s electricity system. It has also agreed to carry out a feasibility study for the construction of two tunnels at Kahori/Kamser and Chaplani of Neelum Valley Road on priority. “The possession of lands with extended families of Mirpur district in case of Mangla Dam Raising Project shall be regularized in 30 days,” it says.
Both sides also agreed on the implementation of the 2019 high court decision regarding hydel projects and a feasibility study for the provision of a greater water supply scheme in 10 districts during the current fiscal year. The deal says the government will conduct a review of the transport policy in light of a high court decision “with special reference to use of 1300cc cars.”
The pact envisages the formation of a high-powered committee comprising legal and constitutional experts to deliberate “on the issue of members of AJK Assembly other than AJK constituencies.” It would include two representatives each from the center, the AJK government and the JAAC. “Till the submission of final report of the committee, the provisions/concessions/allocation of funds/status of ministries under the existing arrangements will be held in abeyance,” it says.
“The Local Government Act in its current shape shall be brought in conformity with the spirit of the original Local Government Act of 1990 and in accordance with the judgments on the subject by apex courts in 90 days,” it says.
Additional points
The agreement calls for funds to build an operation theater and nurseries at all tehsil headquarter hospitals, as well as for the construction of bridges at Gulpur and Rehman (Kotli) through the Annual Development Program (ADP). It proposes a water supply scheme and transmission line for the Kashmir colony in Dadyal, funded from the ADP and pledges grant of proprietary rights to refugees of Dadyal’s Mendor colony.
“Taxes on transfer of property shall be brought at par with Punjab or Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa within three months,” it states and seeks reduction of advance tax.
It seeks a timeline for an international airport at Mirpur within the current financial year after consultation and deliberations by the appropriate authority and the federal government.
To oversee and implement the agreement, a Monitoring and Implementation Committee comprising two representatives each from the federal government, its AJK counterpart and the JAAC would be notified. It would be responsible for dispute resolution, formulating rules and regulations of the working methodology and defining timelines for the implementation of every decision in “light of budgetary allocation and other constraints.” It would review existing perks and privileges authorized to judiciary, government officials and ministers in order to rationalize it.
Welcome deal
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif welcomed the agreement, saying it had buried “all conspiracies and rumors” through amicable resolution. In a statement, he appreciated the members of the federal government’s negotiation committee and the JAAC for signing the pact to “settle all issues.”
Sharif described the deal as an achievement for Pakistan and AJK and asserted that the government was “ever ready to resolve issues of Kashmiri brethren as public interest and service are among our top priorities.” He urged Kashmiris against believing false rumors, affirming the government had “always protected” their rights and would continue to ensure them in the future.