Islamabad:
The Federal Minister of Cashmiro Affairs, Gilgit-Baltistan, Amir Muqam, said Thursday that the Government had accepted most of the demands presented by the joint action committee (JAC) in Azad Kashmir, after a 14-hour marathon negotiation session in Muzaffrabad.
Speaking to journalists, Muqam said he visited Muzaffrabad about the special instructions of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to commit directly to the interested parties about the strike call of September 29, JAC. The Federal Minister, Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, accompanied him during the discussions.
The conversations began the other day at 3 PM and continued until 5 in the morning in the next morning, involving successive rounds with a Ministerial Committee of the Cashmiro government, JAC representatives and senior officials, including the main secretary and inspector general.
“The majority of the demands that were within the constitutional and legal limits and referred to the well -being of the people of Cashmira, either linked to the Federal Government or the Cashmiro government, have been accepted,” Muqam confirmed.
The minister pointed out that the federal government was already extending significant subsidies to the region, including electricity to RS3 per unit and flour at RS20 per kilogram. He recalled that only last year, the prime minister assigned RS23 billion as a special subsidies for subsidies, in addition to a 100% increase in the Development Budget of Kashmir.
However, Muqam criticized the JAC for presenting what he called “illegal demands” towards the end of the conversations, particularly the proposal to abolish 12 legislative seats reserved for refugees from Jammu and Kashmir occupied by India.
“Such movement would send a dangerous message: that we are ignoring the State and the sacrifices of our brothers and sisters through the control line,” said Muqam, emphasizing that constitutional changes could only follow through legislative elections and processes.
In addition, he regretted that some elements were looking for disruptive agendas at a time when, after high tensions with India, the cause of Kashmir had received renewed attention internationally.
“This plays directly in the hands of India,” Muqam said. “But allow me to make it clear: any demand that really benefits the people of Cashmiro will receive total support from federal and cashmere governments.”
He reaffirmed that the doors for dialogue remained open, promising to continue efforts to solve disputes through consensus.
