- Fazl urges government to review protesters’ charter of demands.
- Sanaullah accuses proscribed committee of blocking AJK polls.
- Bilawal urges PM to control ministers over AJK controversy.
The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) on Thursday castigated Defence Minister Khawaja Asif over his remarks questioning the identity of people in Rawalakot, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, the epicentre of protests led by the proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) against the reservation of 12 seats in the AJK’s Legislative Assembly for refugees.
Speaking on the NA floor, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman urged patience and tolerance, saying that many emotional statements had been made in the House, including by Speaker Ayaz Sadiq himself.
“When the government’s reaction becomes emotional, that is not befitting of the government’s stature,” he said.
The National Assembly took up the matter as Defence Minister Khawaja Asif came under criticism for remarks he reportedly made about residents of AJK, prompting objections from both the PPP and JUI-F.
The unrest in the AJK began ahead of a June 9 strike called by the JAAC in protest against the reservation of 12 seats for refugees in the July 27 elections to the region’s 45-seat legislative assembly. The refugees live in Pakistan after being displaced from Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
Fazlur Rehman criticised Asif and said that his statements were not befitting of a defence minister and would only further inflame tensions. “You have handed fighting to Khawaja Asif and reconciliation to Ishaq Dar,” he told the government.
He said he had received a formal letter from the Awami Action Committee and had forwarded it to the government, but had yet to receive a response.
He said the committee had shared its charter of demands and that protests should not be met with state action based on speeches alone. “Violence should not be used on the basis of speeches by protesters,” he said.
Fazlur Rehman welcomed the committee’s decision to postpone its planned march toward Muzaffarabad, saying he had responded to the committee’s letter via video message.
Bilawal lambasts Asif
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, whose party is a coalition partner at the Centre, directed sharp criticism at certain federal ministers, saying some were creating difficulties for the prime minister rather than helping resolve issues.
“Why do we have ministers who say that residents of Rawalakot are not Kashmiris?” he demanded, adding that the minister responsible had still not apologised.
“One federal minister, instead of extinguishing the fire, poured more fuel on it,” Bilawal said, urging the prime minister to control his team. He said space should be given to Maulana Fazl to play a mediating role in resolving the matter.
Bilawal also raised the issue of Karachi’s local government system, questioning whether the MQM-P considered Karachi more important than its political seats, and challenged coalition partners to bring Lahore’s municipal system to Karachi as well.
In a sharp warning directed at MQM-P, Bilawal said that if the prime minister and the government were not accepting their demands and were only offering lollipops, they should leave the federal government. “How long will you continue on this lollipop? Get out of the federal government,” he said.
On Gilgit-Baltistan, Bilawal said PPP was forming a government there with the support of Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party and PML-N, and announced that local government elections in GB would be held within 90 days.
Sanaullah accuses committee of blocking elections
Responding on behalf of the government, PML-N Senator Rana Sanaullah said the proscribed Awami Action Committee had adopted a path of arson and violence in Kashmir a year ago, presenting 38 demands at the time — all of which, he claimed, had been worked upon.
He said AJK residents continued to receive electricity at Rs3.50 per unit despite significantly higher rates across the rest of Pakistan, and that Rs10 billion had been provided to address electricity-related issues. He added that wheat subsidies were also being provided to AJK.
Sanaullah said the committee’s current demand to eliminate 12 refugee seats in the AJK assembly was a constitutional and legal matter, and that a six-member committee had been formed to make recommendations to the AJK government on the issue. He accused the proscribed committee of rejecting multiple options offered by the government, including participation in an All-Parties Conference on the refugee seats issue.
“The real purpose of the protest call is to stop the AJK elections,” Sanaullah said, adding that the committee wanted the elections blocked and was using mob tactics to impose its demands. “Depriving refugees of voting rights is a deviation from the very purpose of the freedom movement,” he said.
He acknowledged that Fazl’s remarks on Kashmir carried weight, saying Kashmir was Pakistan’s jugular vein and no room should be given to any misunderstanding.
He said the government would welcome whatever mediating role Maulana chose to play. “The issue of seats will not be resolved through rallies and sit-ins,” he added.
