MUZAFFARABAD: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) administration on Sunday retracted a contentious presidential order and agreed to a number of demands made by the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC) coalition, following days of protests that brought the region to a standstill.
Thousands of people braved inclement weather to gather at various entry crossings, including as Brarkot, Kohala, and Holar, as the protests gained momentum on Saturday.
Following discussions, the demonstration organizers declared their intention to march on Sunday towards the Legislative Assembly in the Chattar neighborhood of Muzaffarabad.
The demonstrators had called for the repeal of the “Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Ordinance, 2024,” which prohibited unregistered organizations from organizing demonstrations or meetings and required registered organizations to obtain authorization one week prior to any scheduled events.
The PPP, a coalition partner in the AJK administration, was the first to reject the law during its meeting in Karachi after sensing rising public discontent. The PML-N’s regional president, Shah Ghulam Qadir, adopted a similar position shortly after.
In the midst of these events, President Barrister Sultan Mahmood declared that the necessary procedures were in progress and that he had already instructed Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq to revoke the decree.
Shaukat Nawaz Mir, a well-known JKJAAC leader from Muzaffarabad who had organized a large rally in Brarkot, traveled to Kohala late on Saturday night to meet with Imtiaz Aslam and Sardar Umar Nazir Kashmiri, who had organized thousands of demonstrators from the districts of Poonch, Bagh, and Haveli.
The shutter-down strike in majority of AJK, especially Muzaffarabad, continued on Sunday as well.
Agreement and negotiations
An official team, consisting of DIG Shehryar Sikander, Poonch Commissioner Sardar Waheed Khan, Information Secretary Sardar Adnan Khurshid, and Health Minister Nisar Ansar Abdali, arrived in Kohala at 9 a.m. on Sunday for formal negotiations. The government accepted a written agreement that included several other points in addition to the main demands.
In the agreement, it was agreed that all cases against activists would be dropped within seven days to three months, that Sohaib Arif, the teacher who was fired, would be reinstated in Poonch, that Azhar’s brother, who was killed in the May 13 firing incident, would be given a permanent job, and that four other people who were hurt in the same incident would each receive Rs 1 million within a week.
The agreement also stated that power meters and costs for homes impacted by the Mangla Dam uplift would be waived. Together, the governments of Punjab and AJK will repair the road that was harmed by the Azad Pattan Dam.
Additionally, in the upcoming fiscal year, power meters will be purchased through e-tendering, and flour quality will be enhanced with allocations modified based on population.
According to the agreement, a committee would be established to create a code of conduct for student union elections, and local representatives would be given authority and funding.
Additionally, it said that the JKJAAC’s distinct “Charter of Demands” would be discussed during a six-month debate without any additional changes.
Later, Mr. Mir informed Dawn that the charter called for lowering elite privileges, giving the Bank of AJK scheduled bank status, enhancing cellular services, and putting the AJK High Court’s ruling on the Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project into effect.
The JKJAAC retracted its demand for the long march on January 23.
By noon, the government team formally revoked the Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Ordinance 2024 by turning over the notification from the Law Department.
Notifications were also sent out regarding the reinstatement of teacher Arif, the release of all inmates, the payment of power arrears in 36 installments rather than 24, and the updated rates for the general service and commercial 5KW service categories.
The caravan from Poonch returned after getting the alerts, and Mr. Mir drove to Brarkot to announce the news while sloganeering. Later, there were joyous rallies in Bagh Kotli, Supply Bazar Rawalakot, Lal Chowk in Muzaffarabad, and other locations.
Pir Mazhar Saeed, the minister of information, praised the JKJAAC for observing nonviolent protests properly and foiling the plans of disruptive forces. He also thanked the president, judiciary, civil society, lawyer forums, media, and police for keeping the peace during the protests, accompanied by four cabinet colleagues. “We preferred and were successful in reaching a resolution through dialogue,” he stated.
Demand the resignation of AJK PM
Sardar Abdul Qayyum Niazi, the regional president of the PTI and a former premier of AJK, congratulated the people and the leadership of the action committee on the protest’s success and called for the immediate resignation of the coalition government and new elections.
He claimed that the region was dealing with one issue after another as a result of the coalition government’s ineptitude.
“They could have avoided public discontent and shame if they had recognized the delicate nature of the situation and removed the black law independently,” Mr. Niazi said.
Prime Minister Haq’s resignation was also called for by Raja Farooq Haider, a former premier and PML-N politician.
“Aside from being proof of the hybrid regime’s failure, the ordinance’s withdrawal is like a post-mortem cure,” he added in a statement.
