Sports Minister Asim Sharif Bhat sent his resignation directly to Haq to avoid media attention.
MUZAFFARABAD:
Three ministers in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Chief Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq’s cabinet have announced their resignations, blaming the prime minister for the recent unrest in the region. Information Minister Pir Mazhar Saeed has already submitted his resignation.
The ministers, Abdul Majid Khan, Asim Sharif Bhat and Chaudhry Akbar Ibrahim, alleged that Haq failed to protect the constitutional rights of the people of AJK and more than 2.5 million Kashmiri refugees settled in Pakistan. They also called on the prime minister to resign.
In his resignation letter, Finance Minister Abdul Majid Khan stated that it was his solemn duty to reaffirm the unwavering belief in the ideology of AJK’s accession and integration with Pakistan, “consequent to the final resolution of the J&K dispute, in accordance with the wishes of the entire population, including 2.5 million J&K refugees.”
He strongly opposed the “unfair and ill-conceived demand” raised by the Jammu and Kashmir Joint Action Committee (JAAC) seeking abolition of 12 refugee seats in the AJK Legislative Assembly.
He said the JAAC-led campaign “not only lacked empathy but was rooted in a narrative of exclusion, resentment and opportunism.”
He further maintained that the agreement between JAAC and representatives of the federal government was reached under pressure and without a broader consensus, thereby undermining the fundamental rights of thousands of Kashmiri refugees.
Abdul Majid Khan won four consecutive elections in LA-45 Valley-VI (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) and is a descendant of the Jammu and Kashmir refugee community settled throughout Pakistan.
Food Minister Chaudhry Akbar Ibrahim said Kashmiri refugees and their 12 assembly members “are not simply political voters, but divided families and patriotic Pakistanis whose loyalty to the cause of Kashmir and Pakistan has remained unwavering despite decades of suffering.”
Ibrahim added that it had become “completely impossible for the undersigned to continue serving under the current government, which has failed to effectively safeguard the constitutional rights of Kashmiri refugees and has failed to show propriety and seriousness in addressing this grave constitutional violation committed by those who have no legal authority.”
Both ministers reaffirmed their commitment to defend the rights of the Jammu and Kashmir refugees settled in Pakistan and promised to continue raising their voices for their rightful place in the political and constitutional structure of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan.
The outgoing ministers Khan and Ibrahim said in response to a question that they had already written to President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal General Syed Asim Munir, urging them to take cognizance of the issue.
They said the issue reflects the sentiments of more than 2.5 million divided Kashmiris living in Pakistan’s four provinces. These Kashmiris, they said, believe in accession to Pakistan and their political rights should be protected in AJK.
Sports Minister Asim Sharif Bhat sent his resignation directly to Haq to avoid media attention.
