Islamabad: Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, has emphasized that no one will be permitted to create a law-and-order situation or incite uncertainty in Azad Kashmir. Addressing a news conference in Islamabad, alongside Azad Kashmir political leaders Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan and Nabeela Ayoub, he stated that issues can be resolved through dialogue.
According to Radio Pakistan, Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudhry mentioned that 35 of the 38 demands put forward by the banned Joint Awami Action Committee of Azad Kashmir have been implemented, with the government ready to discuss the remaining ones. Concerning the committee's demand to abolish the 12 assembly seats reserved for Kashmiri refugees, he said the government had requested the committee to take the matter to an All Parties Conference, hold a debate in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, file a reference in the Supreme Court of Azad Kashmir, or postpone its protest call scheduled for Tuesday. Unfortunately, the committee rejected all these proposals.
Highlighting the clauses of the agreement already implemented, Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudhry reported that the government had withdrawn around 170 First Information Reports, reinstated suspended government employees who participated in violent protests, waived electricity bills for those affected by Mangla Dam, and initiated e-tendering for electricity meters. The feasibility study for the Kahuta-Azad Pattan Road has been completed, and provisions relating to improved flour quality and enhanced internet services have also been implemented. The PC-I for a garbage collection system costing 2.7 billion rupees has been completed, and amendments to local government laws have been approved by the Azad Kashmir Cabinet.
The Minister noted that a concessional tariff for consumers with a five-kilowatt load has been notified. However, the committee has yet to propose a mechanism to assist in curbing electricity theft as envisaged under the agreement. Notifications have been issued regarding the scheduling of the Bank of Azad Jammu and Kashmir with the State Bank of Pakistan and the establishment of two new federal boards in Poonch Division and Muzaffarabad.
Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudhry highlighted that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed the launch of the health card scheme in Azad Kashmir, Islamabad, and Gilgit-Baltistan. The installation of MRI and CT scan machines at District Headquarters Hospitals is nearing completion. Furthermore, 10 billion rupees have been allocated under the PSDP 2026-27 for the upgradation of the electricity system in Azad Kashmir, and efforts are underway to make Mirpur Airport operational. The demand for reducing the size of the cabinet and rationalizing government departments has also been fulfilled.
Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan commended the implementation of 35 demands and emphasized that dialogue should continue to address the remaining issues. He recalled that five of the six members of the first Azad Kashmir cabinet, formed by the Muslim Conference on 24 October 1947, were refugees. He asserted that the rights granted to refugees under the framework of Azad Kashmir's revolutionary government are enshrined in the fundamental principles and can never be revoked. He warned that any attempt to undermine refugees' rights will adversely affect the Kashmir issue internationally.
Nabeela Ayoub affirmed the strong and enduring relationship between the people of Azad Kashmir and Pakistan, urging that no pressure group should weaken these ties. She called on the people of Azad Kashmir not to engage in any unintentional process that could harm the Kashmir cause.