The Legislative Assembly has called for the establishment of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to address political situation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, as the state administration and the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) have been at odds over various issues — most notably the demand to abolish the 12 seats reserved for refugees who settled in mainland Pakistan after 1947, which has resulted in protests across the region.
The meeting in Muzaffarabad City under Speaker Chaudhry Latif Akbar, the assembly reaffirmed support for the Kashmiris’ right to self-determination in line with the UN Security Council resolutions. The House urged the world to support implementation of UN resolutions on Kashmir and called for a peaceful resolution of the long-running issue. Former president and prime minister Sardar Muhammad Yaqoob Khan introduced a resolution criticizing reported remarks by Minister for Defense Khawaja Muhammad Asif about the Rawlakot situation.
The resolution urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to take notice of the matter and called for implementation of Pakistan People’s Party’s proposal to establish the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, suspend further action, suggest confidence-building measures, and ensure transparent elections in Mirpur Division by addressing alleged irregularities. To a question from opposition legislator Khawaja Farooq Ahmed, Minister for Education Dewan Ali Chughtai said responsibility for preserving and promoting regional and indigenous languages lies with the Cultural Academy under the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Academy Act, 2016.
The assembly also discussed poor telecommunications and mobile network services after a notice raised by legislator Nisara Abbasi. The speaker directed the Assembly Secretariat to take up the issue with the relevant authorities. The opposition lawmakers said that unreliable mobile and internet services were creating difficulties for residents, particularly students and people working online. PPP leader Chaudhry Muhammad Yasin reiterated support for establishing a Truth and Reconciliation Commission and called for accountability and transparent elections.
“I understand their pain, whether they are right or wrong. I feel for their mothers, fathers, sisters, and brothers,” Bilawal Bhutto told party workers in Muzaffarabad some days ago. He urged that the protestors cannot be punished on the street. “If you want to take action, investigate and form a commission, which will then tell you who is the murderer and who is whose agent; this issue cannot be resolved on the street,” he said. “What is happening here, from Mirpur to Poonch, can we call it democracy,” he questioned.
