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ISLAMABAD, Oct 04 (APP):Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Fazal Chaudhry on Saturday termed the signing of the agreement with the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) a victory for peace, for Kashmir and for the people of both Kashmir and Pakistan.
Speaking to the media after returning from Muzaffarabad, Dr Fazal Chaudhry thanked Almighty Allah for the successful conclusion of negotiations and the restoration of calm in the region.
He said the JAAC had launched protests over public-interest and governance issues in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), which initially led to violent clashes and the tragic loss of three lives, including police personnel and protesters.
“First and foremost, we extend our deepest condolences and sympathy to the families of those who lost their lives,” he said, adding that the federal government intervened promptly to prevent further escalation.
Dr Fazal said that a delegation comprising Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs Amir Muqam, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Interprovincial Coordination Rana Sanaullah, Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal, Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Yousaf, former Adviser to the Prime Minister on Kashmir Affairs Qamar Zaman Kaira, former AJK President Masood Ahmed Khan, and former Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf was constituted to hold talks with the committee.
“We stayed in AJK for two days and held three rounds of discussions with the Committee. Their demands were purely in the public interest,” he said.
He said that addressing those demands required financial resources, for which the delegation contacted Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif. “Despite the financial challenges Pakistan is currently facing, the Prime Minister fully authorized our delegation to make commitments on behalf of the federal government,” Dr Fazal added.
He said the Prime Minister assured that the required funds—amounting to billions of rupees—would be provided to address AJK’s issues.
The committee members, he said, expressed gratitude to the Prime Minister for his concern over the AJK situation and for dispatching a high-level delegation to resolve the crisis.
“They appreciated that the federal government truly felt the pain of the people of Kashmir and responded with sincerity and compassion,” he said.
“We witnessed immense love for Pakistan and a strong spirit of unity among the people of AJK. This is a win for dialogue, democracy, and mutual respect,” Dr. Fazal said.
He reaffirmed that the leadership of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and its coalition partners, including the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), would continue to work for the resolution of AJK’s longstanding issues.