JI offers to mediate AJK situation

Warns failure to give peace a chance could create divisions

ISLAMABAD:

Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Saturday voiced concern over the existing situation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), warning that failure to give peace a chance could create divisions that would be impossible to heal.

Addressing a joint news conference with Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Mahmood Khan Achakzai following their meeting in Islamabad, Naeem said the overall political situation in the country, particularly in AJK, came under discussion.

He said JI had offered to mediate between the government and the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), adding that mediation would only be possible if both sides agreed to it.

"We are deeply concerned about the situation in Azad Kashmir. If peace is not given an opportunity, a rift could emerge that may never be repaired," he said, stressing that any dialogue must take place within Pakistan's constitutional and legal framework.

Ahead of the July 27 elections in AJK, JAAC had called for widespread protests demanding the abolition of 12 seats in the region's Legislative Assembly reserved for refugees from occupied Kashmir who settled in Pakistan after 1947.

The JI chief said it was imperative to work for the country's stability and the Kashmir cause, but regretted that the government's actions had failed to produce positive results. He urged authorities to take steps that would restore public confidence.

He said maintaining peace in AJK was essential for Pakistan's international standing, expressing hope that efforts to resolve the crisis would prove fruitful.

Naeem noted that public anger stemmed from the failure to respect the people's electoral mandate, adding that future talks would address the root causes of the crisis while remaining within Pakistan's constitutional framework.

Speaking on the occasion, Achakzai said Pakistan was facing an unprecedented crisis, questioning whether the country's difficulties were the result of external factors or its own shortcomings.

He said the Constitution guaranteed the right to peaceful protest and observed that a widening gap had emerged between the government and the JAAC.

"We will play whatever role we can. We must understand why the people of Kashmir have reached this point," Achakzai said, adding that all stakeholders should engage in self-reflection.

Former senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, who was also present, said Naeem had taken the initiative to help resolve the "grave crisis" in AJK, adding that the situation had caused concern across Pakistan.

He said the political process in AJK had been undermined and claimed that if elections were held today, the current rulers would not enjoy public confidence.

He blamed both the PML-N and the PPP for contributing to the current situation, saying Defence Minister Khawaja Asif's recent remarks had further inflamed tensions.