AJK assembly adopts resolutions condemning ministers’ remarks, backing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission
The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly has adopted two resolutions condemning ministers’ remarks on the recent unrest in Rawalakot and other parts of the region. The first resolution was tabled by former AJK president Sardar Muhammad Yaqoob Khan, while the second was moved by PPP regional president Chaudhry Muhammad Yasin.
The assembly met under the chairmanship of panel member Nabeela Ayoub, but only nine members were in attendance – seven from the ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and one each from the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
The first resolution condemned what it described as “irresponsible” statements by federal ministers regarding the recent Rawalakot incidents. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif was specifically censured for allegedly refusing to recognize the people of Rawalakot as Kashmiris, stating that such remarks had hurt public sentiment and should have been taken notice of by the prime minister.
The resolution also recalled the role of the people of Poonch in the Pakistan Movement and the state’s subsequent accession to Pakistan. It reiterated that those whose skins were flayed alive in 1832 belonged to the same land, emphasizing that Ghulam Haider Jhandalvi, who represented the Kashmiris at the adoption of the Pakistan Resolution in Lahore on March 23, 1940, and AJK’s founding president Sardar Muhammad Ibrahim Khan, at whose Srinagar residence the July 19, 1947, accession resolution was adopted, were also sons of the same soil.
The assembly called for the implementation of PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s proposal to establish a Truth and Reconciliation Commission. It urged that no further action be taken in Rawalakot until such a mechanism was put in place, emphasizing the need for dialogue as the only way forward.
In contrast, the second resolution reaffirmed the assembly’s commitment to constitutional supremacy, democracy, the rule of law, and the protection of life and property. It paid tribute to security forces, police, and law enforcement personnel who lost their lives in the line of duty and expressed sympathy with the families of all civilians, police personnel, and security officials killed or injured during the recent unrest.
The assembly also adopted a second resolution that reaffirmed its commitment to peaceful protest, freedom of expression, and legitimate political demands. It declared that the use of weapons, violence, vandalism, intimidation, and other unlawful means could not be accepted as legitimate means of political struggle, calling on peaceful protesters to distance themselves from armed and violent elements.
The resolutions were adopted without any opposition or debate, with all members in attendance supporting them. The assembly’s decision reflects its commitment to finding a peaceful resolution to the ongoing unrest in AJK and its desire for dialogue and cooperation with other stakeholders.
Based on reporting from Dawn.
