Tariq Fazal calls on the Awami Action Committee to resume talks.

Ninety percent of the requests made by the Awami Action Committee (AAC) have been approved, according to Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, who urged the AAC’s leaders to resume talks.

Speaking at a joint news conference at Kashmir House with Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwar-ul-Haq of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), he claimed that since most of the demands had already been met, there was no reason to protest in AJK.

He warned that protests would not provide answers or outcomes and chastised the AAC leadership for driving the issue in the wrong direction. He declared, “We do not want Azad Kashmir to be a place of violence or for our enemies to take advantage of it.”

According to the minister, he and Federal Minister for Kashmir, Gilgit, Baltistan, and States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON), Engineer Amir Muqam, were assigned by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to hold negotiations in Muzaffarabad.

He disclosed that after 12 hours of talks, a written agreement had been reached, with the AAC’s proposed modifications also approved.

He claimed that in spite of these advancements, the committee unnecessarily recommenced protests on September 29. He warned that if there were violent protests, India would simply be able to utilize the video for propaganda.

We acted as guarantors that the items that were agreed upon would be carried out. Cases against government workers suspended during previous protests were dropped, and they were reinstated. He added, “Demands for local governance, power, and wheat were also accepted.

He did clarify, though, that two demands—the elimination of refugee seats and a reduction in the number of ministers—could not be met right once since they required constitutional revisions. He went on to say that “both sides had agreed to move forward under a written agreement despite these constraints.”

He lamented that despite the advancements, violence broke out, emphasizing that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had even stated that he was willing to meet with AAC leaders in person when he returned from London.

Speaking at the event, Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq of Azad Jammu Kashmir stated that the best way to settle disagreements was via communication. “Civilian groups that provoke people cause chaos and unnecessary death tolls.” “I invite the Awami Action Committee to participate in discussions,” he declared.

He expressed sorrow over the deaths, stating that three police officers were martyred and that around 150 people were hurt, eight of them were in critical condition. “As different groups were active in different areas, I had warned repeatedly that the protest would not remain peaceful,” he said.

He reaffirmed that the administration was ready to start talking again in Rawalakot, Muzaffarabad, or any other area of AJK. Bloodshed is the only result of violence. One person’s death is equivalent to the death of all people. We have to steer clear of a course that will result in more tragedy,” he stated.

The leader of the Jammu and Kashmir Council, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, had assigned two federal ministers to oversee the talks, the AJK premier recalled. The negotiations merely came to a standstill on two constitutional issues; they were not deemed a failure. “The remaining issues can be resolved once 90 percent of them are settled,” he continued.

He went on to explain that the prime minister had expressed his desire to personally listen to the AAC’s worries and that there was no reason for violent protests with such guarantees.