Agreement signed as govt, JAAC talks conclude successfully

MUZAFFARABAD: An agreement has been reached between the government negotiation committee and the Joint Awami  Action Committee (JAAC) on Friday night.

Members of the government and the Joint Awami  Action Committee announced the agreement at a joint press conference in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Azad Kashmir.

Adviser to the Prime Minister and member of the government negotiation committee, Rana Sanaullah, while holding a press conference, said that the matter was settled amicably and the legitimate demands of the Action Committee were accepted.

He said that a Legal Action Committee has been formed to settle matters between the parties, and the Legal Action Committee will meet every 15 days.

Senior PPP leader Raja Pervez Ashraf said that some people were hoping to spoil the matter, but all their plans failed.

Raja Pervez Ashraf said that establishing peace in Kashmir is the responsibility of all of us. A committee has been formed, and now no one needs to come on the streets; if there is any problem or complaint, they should present it before the committee.

Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal also called the agreement with the Joint Action Committee a victory for Pakistan, Azad Kashmir, and democracy.

Ahsan Iqbal, in a message on social media before the press conference of the government negotiation committee, said that a difficult situation had arisen in the past weeks due to public issues, but the wisdom and spirit of dialogue of the local and national leadership resolved this crisis peacefully.

He said that neither violence was encouraged nor division occurred, but a way was found with mutual respect.

Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal further said that the Joint  Committee raised the voice of the people, and the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, listened to these voices seriously.

When the government listens to the people, the people talk constructively, and a solution emerges.

Ahsan Iqbal said that we preferred consultation over confrontation and solidarity over ego. God willing, we will all work together for better governance and development in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, a member of the Prime Minister’s Negotiation Committee and Federal Minister, also said in a message on social media that our negotiation delegation has signed the final agreement with the Joint Action Committee.

Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, in a message on social media, called the agreement a victory for peace. He also clarified that the protesters are returning to their homes and all roads have also been opened.

Under the agreement between the federal ministers and the Joint Action Committee, compensation will be given to the families of those who died on October 1 and 2.

Under the agreement, cases will be registered under the Anti-Terrorism Act for deaths due to violent incidents.

It should be remembered that a few days ago, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced the formation of a high-level negotiation committee to resolve the situation in Azad Kashmir.

The government negotiation committee that negotiated with the Joint Action Committee included Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s advisor Rana Sanaullah, Federal Ministers Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, Ahsan Iqbal and Sardar Yousaf, Amir Muqam, as well as PPP leaders Raja Pervez Ashraf and Qamar Zaman Kaira.