Govt will not use force if JAAC takes to streets: Faisal Rathore

    Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore has said his government is making every effort to prevent the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) from taking to the streets again, stressing that the dispute over the 12 legislative assembly seats reserved for refugees from Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir should be resolved through negotiations and political consensus.

    Answering questions during a private television interview, Mr Rathore asserted that

 his government had made sincere efforts to implement the agreement reached with the action committee following last year's protest movement and had resolved almost all issues contained in its charter of demands.

    “Almost all demands included in the charter of demands were fulfilled, except for one relating to the abolition of refugee seats, which subsequently became the central issue around which the movement was revived,” he said.

    Referring to recent negotiations with JAAC, Mr Rathore said: “We have had very productive discussions with members of the Action Committee. However, the issue of abolishing refugee seats is a constitutional matter that cannot be decided by a single political party alone. It requires a broad consensus among all stakeholders.”

    “We wanted the JAAC to extend its call for protest, but they declined, although they agreed to keep the door for negotiations open until June 7,” he added.

    The prime minister said the issue had also been discussed with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and reiterated that the government did not want the state to face another period of unrest.

    “These people are our own. They certainly have the right to raise their concerns and it is our responsibility to listen to them and understand their point of view, and we are doing that,” he said.

    Mr Rathore maintained that decisions affecting the future of the state should be taken through representative institutions rather than through street agitation, adding that many JAAC members also favoured a negotiated settlement.

    Referring to the refugee seats controversy, he said it was often argued that these were open to manipulation because the elections were conducted under the influence of provincial governments. 

    He, however, said refugees had made significant sacrifices and played an important role in the state’s affairs and they could not be ignored under any circumstances.

    “Regardless of political interests or affiliations, the interests of the state must come first.”

    Mr Rathore said discussions had also included the possibility of reducing the number of refugee seats in view of the significant increase in the number of registered voters within AJK, while the number of voters in the refugee constituencies of Jammu and the Valley was comparatively lower.

    “We have not closed any door in this regard. We want to reach a mutually acceptable solution through negotiations and understanding,” he said.

    Responding to a question about the possibility of protests, the prime minister said the government would continue making every effort to ensure that the action committee did not take to the streets.

    “However, God forbid, if such a situation arises, we will strive to ensure that it remains peaceful and will not try to stop them through force or coercion. Rather, we will treat them respectfully, offer them cold water and take care of them,” he said.

    He warned that any confrontation would be detrimental to the state and could be exploited by India for propaganda purposes.

    “The state cannot afford any situation that compels it to use force against its own people. India, meanwhile, takes advantage of such developments and seeks to draw misleading parallels with public rights movements in Pakistan, thereby taking the discourse in a different direction,” he said.

    Tariq Naqash