AJK’s muddle

The demands range from concern over rising prices, and from undue taxes to subsidies on wheat and electricity

The protests across the AJK have literally brought the state to a standstill. The Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) that is spearheading the campaign is apolitical in essence but has cut across the party lines to make its presence felt. JAAC is primarily composed of traders and civil society groups. Its demands are focused on the privileges of the autonomous state, and it seems to be unrelenting for a middle ground compromise. The demands range from concern over rising prices to a beleaguered economy, and from undue taxes to subsidies on wheat and electricity. Perhaps, that is why a generous package of Rs23 billion announced by the federal government on Monday has made little impact in lowering down the soaring tensions, and the men on the streets are holding their fort.

Their contention to enjoy subsidised tariff on electricity as the energy is generated from water reservoirs of the valley is worth acknowledging. Moreover, what makes the movement popular is that people want an end to privileges of the elite class, especially the ruling dispensations, and long for an empowered local government system. Last but not least, they are conscious of their political mandate and are unwilling to throw it to the wind. The change of government in AJK and the cabinet that was ushered in as a mark of political engineering has been at the root-cause of ills, and day to day issues such as misgovernance and wheat shortage had led to an unprecedented civil discord.

Islamabad cannot expect to extinguish the fire through piece-meal measures. It has to look at the broader picture of geopolitics and address the genuine issues of the AJK inhabitants by walking the extra few miles. This is why the late evening declaration from JAAC that the protests will continue, and the march towards Muzaffarabad has not been called off, is a worrisome proposition. The good point, nonetheless, is that the agitators are willing for a negotiated settlement and that too on the basis of their assured empowerment. In doing so they have kept the welfare of the state as priority and not partisan politics.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 14^th, 2024.

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