• JKJAAC declaration says peace in South Asia impossible without resolving Kashmir issue
• Demands release of Yasin Malik, others detained in Indian jails

MUZAFFARABAD: A civil society alliance in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) campaigning for public rights has given the regional government a deadline of June 8, though Eidul Azha is likely to fall on June 7, to implement its ‘Charter of Demands’, warning of further mass mobilisation in the event of dilly-dallying or inaction.

The announcement was made by Shaukat Nawaz Mir, a prominent leader of the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC), in his speech in the small hours of Sunday at a massive rally held at Muzaffarabad’s Lal Chowk.

Titled as “Conference of the Martyrs of Jammu and Kashmir and Public Rights”, the rally began on Saturday afternoon, with thousands of participants arriving in caravans from across the region till late evening.

The event continued until dawn on Sunday, during which more than two dozen speakers, including the JKJAAC’s core committee members, addressed the emotionally charged gathering.

Local hotel and trader associations facilitated the participants by offering free accommodation and meals. The event ended peacefully, much to the relief of the local administration.

The 13-point declaration read out by Mr Mir at the rally addressed internal governance issues, the Kashmir conflict, and the dangers of nuclear war in South Asia.

It stressed that lasting peace between Pakistan and India, as well as in the South Asian region, was impossible without a resolution of the Kashmir dispute in accordance with the wishes of the Kashmiri people.

“The international community must ensure the peaceful and permanent settlement of the Kashmir issue as per the collective will of the people and their inalienable right to self-determination under the UN Charter,” the declaration said.

It also warned that if any decision was imposed against the will of Kashmiris, or if war was thrust upon the region, the people across all divided units of the erstwhile princely state of Jammu and Kashmir would reserve the right to peacefully dismantle the so-called “bloody” Line of Control (LoC).

The declaration raised grave concerns about the possibility of a nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan, and appealed to citizens of both countries as well as Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, the Maldives, Afghanistan and Iran to support Kashmiris’ call for self-determination to prevent becoming collateral in such a conflict.

Demanding the release of prominent Kashmiri resistance leader Yasin Malik and other political prisoners detained in Indian jails, the declaration also condemned “enforced disappearances” in the AJK and “arrests of political activists in Gilgit-Baltistan”.

New 16-point charter

The committee warned the AJK government to fulfil commitments made under a previous agreement regarding a 10-point charter of demands. If implementation was not ensured by June 8, the alliance said it would announce its next course of action during a representative meeting in the Mirpur division.

“We caution the rulers: if we are compelled to issue another protest call, they will not be able to escape its repercussions,” Mr Mir said.

The alliance also rejected the recent increase in perks and privileges for AJK’s elite, calling it a mockery of public sentiment. It reiterated its demand for complete reversal of these benefits.

In a strong rebuttal, Mr Mir dismissed Prime Minister Anwarul Haq’s allegations of “RAW funding” for the protest movement, terming them baseless and malicious.

“Our movement is being funded by donations from local residents and overseas Kashmiris, with complete transparency ensured through social media disclosures,” he said.

According to the JKJAAC, the newly introduced 16-point charter — formally adopted at a core committee meeting in Dhirkot (Bagh) on May 21 — would now be pursued alongside the earlier demands.

The new demands included free and equitable access to education and healthcare, employment opportunities, establishment of international airports in AJK, provision of clean drinking and irrigation water, construction of the Taobat-Bhimber Expressway, elimination of corruption, bribery and favouritism in government departments, interest-free loans for youth, regulation of exploitative cellular companies, quotas and financial support for persons with disabilities, and tax exemptions.

It also called for reform of judicial privileges and procedures, including transparent appointments, timely hearings and judicial accountability, to ensure the protection of public rights.

The declaration strongly criticised the continued violation of Article 52-C of the Interim Constitution and a 2019 AJK High Court ruling on hydropower resources, terming them detrimental to the rule of law.

Another key demand was the abolition of 12 legislative seats reserved for Kashmiri refugees living in Pakistan. The committee asserted that these seats had become instruments of exploitation and obstacles to local ownership and self-governance, and their immediate abolition was essential.

Instead, the refugees residing within AJK should be granted legislative representation and ownership rights, particularly those displaced after 1989, the JKJAAC stressed.

It further demanded an immediate halt to what it called the unconstitutional and unethical diversion of development funds from AJK to the so-called 12 constituencies in Pakistan, describing it as a form of open corruption.

It also opposed job quotas for refugees settled in Pakistan, calling them unjust to the residents of AJK. “The right to employment in the liberated territory must be restricted to those living within it,” it added.

Published in Dawn, May 26th, 2025