ISLAMABAD, Jan 05 (APP): Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry on Monday said the government is not only serious but also fully determined to resolve the problems of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
Addressing a press conference, the minister said that AJK and its people are very close to the hearts of the people of Pakistan.
He said all issues can only be resolved through dialogue, adding that the federal government is spending Rs 35 billion to meet the demands of the people of AJK.
He expressed the resolve that unity is essential for addressing the Kashmir issue.
Dr Tariq Fazal said the agreement finalized with the Joint Action Committee in October 2025 had already been shared in detail with the media. He said that points related to approximately 15 departments of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir government were presented comprehensively.
He said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had constituted a high-level special committee to address the issues of Azad Kashmir. The committee included Engineer Amir Muqam, Ahsan Iqbal, Rana Sanaullah, Sardar Yousaf, and Raja Pervaiz
Ashraf, Qamar Zaman Kaira, and others.
As a result of three days of negotiations, he said, an agreement on 36 points was reached.
To ensure implementation of the agreement, he said two meetings of the committee were held in Islamabad and Muzaffarabad, while the third meeting was scheduled to be held in Islamabad on January 5. During the Muzaffarabad meeting, Azad Kashmir ministers Qasim Majid and Dewan Chughtai were also present, he added.
However, Dr Tariq Fazal regretted that the Public Action Committee boycotted today’s meeting without any prior notice or objection. He said the committee members should have attended the meeting and raised their concerns through dialogue.
He said progress has been made on most of the issues, adding that only 15 FIRs remain, which are at the resolution stage through the courts, while around 10 percent of the remaining issues will also be implemented soon.
The minister explained in detail the progress made on each point related to the 15 departments, saying it was important to inform the public about the extent of implementation achieved so far.
He said the major issues included the abolition of GST and the floor price. He clarified that refugees had not been included in the cabinet, which has been limited to 20 members. Despite this, he said, objections were being raised over appointing two refugee members as chairpersons of standing committees.
Dr Tariq Fazal said seeds of hatred cannot be sown by dividing Kashmiris, calling such division a highly regrettable act.
He emphasized that Kashmir is the jugular vein of Pakistan and that Pakistan does not consider Kashmir separate from itself, adding that no form of sedition or unrest would be allowed.