MUZAFFARABAD: On Sunday, Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi granted the Frontier Constabulary’s (FC) deployment in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, as requested by AJK Premier Chaudhry Anwarul Haq. This decision sparked concerns in the area due to recent deaths that were purportedly caused by a paramilitary group during violent protests in Muzaffarabad.
The Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) issued a warning that if the government did not honor their commitment to the alliance leadership and release the activists who were detained by June 25, the rights movement activists would stage “peaceful sit-ins” at AJK’s entry and exit points with Pakistan. This warning preceded the deployment decision.
The law and order situation and general security in the valley were the main topics of discussion during the meeting between Mr. Haq and Mr. Naqvi, which took place in the latter’s office in the federal capital, according to a press release issued by the AJK government.
According to the press release, the two leaders also talked about the current political situation and the [AJK’s] forthcoming budget for the 2019 fiscal year.
Ex-PM Niazi wants AJKLA to debate the matter; this comes as JAAC is organizing demonstrations after the June 25 deadline has passed.
“On the Prime Minister’s request, the federal minister authorized the Frontier Constabulary’s deployment in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, promising Mr. Haq that every effort would be made to uphold peace and enhance security in the area.”
The federal minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to keeping its word to the people of AJK and supporting their progress and development while also reiterating the government’s support for these goals.
Mr. Haq, for his part, thanked the interior minister for acting quickly to address the problems that AJK was facing.
Many, however, were skeptical when they heard that the paramilitary force would only be used for a few significant hydropower projects in the area, as the AJK administration has been claiming.
Discussion in the assembly
As the news was being broadcast on television, Sardar Abdul Qayyum Niazi, the regional president of the PTI and the former premier of AJK, filed a calling attention notice at the Legislative Assembly secretariat, requesting a debate on the matter on Monday when the house reconvenes.
Mr. Niazi stated that there was currently no law and order scenario in AJK that justified FC’s deployment in the territory in a notice submitted to Speaker Chaudhry Latif Akbar. He recalled that there had previously been a failed attempt to sow discord between the people of Pakistan and AJK, and that the deployment of FC and Rangers had contributed to the difficult atmosphere in the region.
He cautioned that the deployment of FC will make the AJK situation worse.
Questioning the reasons behind the AJK premier’s repeated invitations to the FC to visit the state, Mr. Niazi stated that he felt the House needed to have a discussion on this crucial matter.
starting tomorrow, sit-ins
However, Hafeez Hamdani, a JAAC spokeswoman, informed Dawn from Mirpur, where the organization’s core committee meeting was taking place, that the government had been given till June 25 to comply with all of their demands.
The requests included the dismissal of all cases against the activists, the unconditional release of those in custody, and the creation of a judicial commission made up of judge(s) of the AJK high court to look into any violent incidents.
He warned that any attempt to halt the nonviolent march would result in an indefinite lockdown throughout the AJK. “If the government fails to meet the deadline, people will peacefully march towards their concerned entry point on the given dates and stage a sit-in there,” he said.
According to Mr. Hamdani, the JAAC core committee has agreed to stage protest sit-ins at the entry points of the Poonch, Mirpur, and Muzafarabad divisions on June 27, 28, and 29 respectively.
