AJK refugee seats cannot be abolished, Senate told

Lead

ISLAMABAD: Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political and Public Affairs Rana Sanaullah told the Senate on Wednesday that the 12 reserved seats for refugees in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly would not be abolished, as they represented families displaced from India-occupied Kashmir. The statement came amid ongoing tensions over the seats, which remain the sole unresolved issue between the government and the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), a group that has called for a strike on June 9.

Coverage Comparison

The two reports from Dawn provide complementary accounts of the same ongoing dispute. The first, focused on the Senate session in Islamabad, captures the government's formal position on the refugee seats and its handling of opposition allegations. The second, based in Muzaffarabad, details the marathon negotiations between a federal ministerial team and JAAC leaders, which ended without a breakthrough late Saturday night. Both reports underscore the potential impact of the unrest on AJK's upcoming elections, expected in late July.

Key Claims

The Senate was told that the 12 reserved seats for refugees in the AJK Legislative Assembly would not be abolished. Rana Sanaullah said the seats represented families displaced from India-occupied Kashmir and could not be done away with through executive orders. He added that all political parties in AJK, its parliament, and other constitutional forums supported retaining refugee representation within the constitutional framework.

The opposition in the Senate alleged "massive rigging" in Gilgit-Baltistan's June 7 general elections. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) staged a walkout from the Senate during the session.

The government had accepted 37 of the 38 demands put forward by the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), according to Rana Sanaullah. He said a written agreement was signed after negotiations on those demands, and the sole outstanding demand concerning refugee seats involved "constitutional and legal complexities."

Sanaullah also informed lawmakers that Rs5.4 billion had been disbursed in fuel subsidies under a targeted programme. The Senate unanimously passed five bills during the session.

In a separate development, marathon talks between a federal ministerial team and the core leadership of the JAAC ended without a breakthrough. The dialogue, which stretched for more than nine hours, aimed to persuade the JAAC to withdraw its strike call. JAAC core member Shaukat Nawaz Mir told reporters that detailed discussions and proposals were exchanged, but the committee decided to keep its strike call intact. The abolition of the 12 assembly seats for Pakistan-based refugees remained the key stumbling block.

The federal delegation included cabinet members Rana Sanaullah, Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, and Ahsan Iqbal of the PML-N, as well as former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and former minister Qamar Zaman Kaira representing the PPP. AJK Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore and regional leaders were also part of the discussions.

The JAAC had initially emerged in 2023 with demands relating to electricity tariffs and wheat subsidies. According to Sanaullah, the government addressed major demands by providing electricity at Rs4 per unit, subsidised wheat, and a Rs23 billion relief package. He alleged that certain elements sought to create instability ahead of the upcoming elections despite repeated offers of dialogue, noting that the JAAC gave a call for protest on June 9 back in January.

On June 5, the AJK government designated JAAC a proscribed organisation under anti-terrorism laws, a step that has added further tension to the situation.

Perspectives

The government and the JAAC hold distinct positions on the refugee seats. The government, as articulated by Rana Sanaullah, maintains that the seats cannot be abolished because they represent displaced families and are protected within the constitutional framework. The JAAC, through its core member Shaukat Nawaz Mir, has expressed distrust stemming from what it calls a "breach of trust" but remains open to future engagement. The opposition, meanwhile, has levelled allegations of electoral rigging in Gilgit-Baltistan and staged a walkout from the Senate, reflecting a separate but related political conflict.