MUZAFFARABAD: Hardly four days before a state-wide strike called by a civil society alliance against an allegedly controversial ordinance, the Azad Jammu

and Kashmir (AJK) government has announced the formation of a broad-based consultative committee comprising stakeholders from various sectors to address public concerns.

The decision to constitute the committee on the ‘Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Ordinance 2024’ was taken during a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq on Saturday.

According to Information Minister Pir Mazhar Saeed, the cabinet decided to include ministers, representatives of all political and religious parties, lawyers’ bodies, retired judges, bureaucrats, religious scholars and people from different schools of thought in the said committee.

“The government is committed to protecting the lives and property of its people and maintaining law and order in the region. All available resources are being utilised to achieve this objective,” he said in a statement, and urged people from all walks of life to play their role in strengthening the system.

The Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC), which previously led a successful campaign for reduced electricity tariffs and an enhanced wheat subsidy, has called for a complete shutdown across AJK on December 5 to protest the enforcement of the ordinance, promulgated on October 29.

The ordinance bars unregistered organisations from holding gatherings or protests and makes it mandatory for registered organisations and parties to seek prior written permission from the relevant deputy commissioner at least a week in advance, specifying the time, location, and duration of the gathering.

So far, it has sparked widespread protests across the territory, particularly in the Poonch division.

In late November, a protest in Kotli city turned violent, leaving around 30 people, including police personnel, injured and causing damage to government vehicles and property. Reportedly, police have also made some arrests in Rawalakot, Bagh, Hajira, Muzaffarabad, Kotli and Mirpur for ‘violation of public order.’

The AJK Bar Council has challenged the ordinance in the Supreme Court after their petition was dismissed by the High Court.

Shaukat Nawaz Mir, a member of the JKJAAC core committee and the elected president of an association representing around 10,000 traders in Muzaffarabad, reiterated the committee’s firm stance.

“We do not accept this so-called decision to form a consultative committee… This law has, in fact, been introduced to target the Joint Awami Action Committee. We will not negotiate or withdraw the strike until the black law is repealed, and innocent leaders and activists are released,” he said, asking people to focus solely on the action committee’s strike call.

Several senior leaders of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), a key partner in AJK’s coalition government, have also expressed reservations about the ordinance.

Speaking at an event on Saturday to mark PPP’s foundation day, Minister for Social Welfare and Women’s Development Syed Bazil Ali Naqvi criticised the ordinance without mincing words, earning applause from attendees.

Late at night, during an informal conversation with some journalists at the residence of a PPP councillor, Prime Minister Haq alluded to Mr Naqvi’s criticism, suggesting that dissenting ministers should consider leaving the government.

He reiterated that a broad-based consultative committee had been established with the cabinet’s approval, in which every section of society would be heard with full representation.

Published in Dawn, December 2nd, 2024