By Staff Reporter
MUZAFFARABAD: Senior officials opened talks on Thursday with protest leaders of Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) in an effort to end unrest after days of strikes and violence paralysed the territory under a communications blackout.
The unrest erupted after negotiations collapsed between the JAAC, the AJK government and federal ministers over issues including elite privileges and reserved refugee seats.
“A high-level delegation from Pakistan has started formal dialogue with representatives of the Joint Action Committee of Azad Jammu and Kashmir in Muzaffarabad today,” Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry posted on X as the discussions got under way.
Earlier Thursday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif voiced deep concern over the situation and ordered a negotiation committee to travel immediately to the AJK capital Muzaffarabad to secure a swift and enduring resolution.
The team comprises Senator Rana Sanaullah, ministers Sardar Yusuf and Ahsan Iqbal, former AJK president Masood Khan and PPP politician Qamar Zaman Kaira. Photos posted by Chaudhry on X depicted him alongside Kaira, Sanaullah, Iqbal, Kashmir Affairs Federal Minister Amir Muqam, PPP leader Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and Religious Affairs Minister Sardar Muhammad Yousuf at the talks.
Before heading to Muzaffarabad, committee members addressed media in Islamabad, underscoring the urgency of dialogue to quell the three-day turmoil gripping AJK. Iqbal urged the government to address AJK’s grievances, but cautioned that amid regional and global tensions, certain “elements would want to disturb peace and stability in Pakistan to push forward their agendas”.
He affirmed the government’s dedication to resolving AJK residents’ concerns, while advising vigilance against scenarios that “Pakistan’s enemies” might exploit.
AJK Prime Minister Haq expressed gratitude to Sharif for dispatching the “high-level delegation” to revive talks, hoping JAAC members would collaborate to break the deadlock.
The unrest, driven by demands from the JAAC, has claimed at least nine lives, including the three officers, with more than 100 people injured in clashes with security forces.
“The prime minister has made a strong appeal to citizens to remain peaceful,” the Prime Minister’s Office posted on X. “He has urged that peaceful protest is the constitutional and democratic right of every citizen, but protesters should refrain from causing harm to public order.”
Sharif directed law enforcement agencies to exercise restraint and patience with protesters. “The prime minister has said that respect for public sentiments must be ensured, and any unnecessary harshness should be avoided,” his office added
In Muzaffarabad, most shops, including medical stores, restaurants and tandoors, remained shut, with street vendors and public transport off the roads. Major arteries were littered with broken glass, boulders and debris, forcing private vehicles to detour or turn back. The main flashpoint was Neelum Bridge, where a shopkeeper was shot dead on Monday, with police on one bank of the Neelum River and demonstrators on the other.
Witnesses said protesters threw stones at police, who responded with tear gas and gunfire. One youth said police fired directly at the crowd, killing at least six protesters and critically wounding others. Exact casualties were unconfirmed due to a communications blackout that left officials unreachable. Enraged residents burned bushes and blocked roads in protest.
Earlier, journalists saw a heated exchange at the district headquarters between Islamabad police and AJK officers, with the former complaining they were left in unfamiliar terrain under stone-throwing from higher ground. Meanwhile, the interior ministry convened a meeting in Islamabad Thursday to discuss defusing the situation.
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