MUZAFFARABAD: Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Raja Faisal Mumtaz Rathore on Thursday said his government would resolve teachers’ issues on a priority basis through dialogue, asserting that educators would not need to resort to protests to secure their legitimate demands under the present dispensation.

Addressing a convention titled “Teacher: As an Intellectual and Ideological Guardian”, organised by the AJK School Teachers Organisation, the prime minister said education and health remained the top priorities of his government, as both sectors were critical to sustainable social and economic development.

Mr Rathore said teachers bore a vital responsibility in preparing the younger generation in line with modern-day requirements, adding that alleviating their financial difficulties and improving the effectiveness of the teaching process were among the government’s key objectives.

He maintained that the government preferred engagement and confidence-building over street agitation, and would itself sit with teachers to address their concerns.

Describing teachers as the architects of the nation and agents of social reform, the prime minister said their role could never be ignored.

He noted that Islam accorded teachers a high status and stressed the need to balance rights with responsibilities.

“A teacher who works with dedication and sincerity earns the support of society,” he said.

The prime minister reiterated that he had always opposed vindictive postings and transfers, noting that increased public awareness in the digital age made self-accountability essential.

While acknowledging that the state’s challenges could not be resolved overnight, he expressed the hope that if the public maintained its trust [in PPP], visible improvement would be achieved over the next five years.

Recalling the situation at the time he assumed office, Mr Rathore said the state had been facing unrest and declining public confidence in the political system.

“By the grace of Allah, the present government now enjoys public trust, which is our real strength,” he said, adding that constructive competition brought positive change, even though strengths and weaknesses existed across all segments of society.

He said direct interaction with teachers had long been his desire and expressed satisfaction at being among them. Calling on educators to cooperate with the government, he urged them to play an active role in the state’s development, assuring them that the government would continue to take effective measures to address their issues.

Earlier, in his address, Most Senior Minister Mian Abdul Waheed said teachers were the state’s true ambassadors on the intellectual and ideological front and played a central role in shaping the nation’s thinking and training future generations.

He termed teachers a valuable national asset and stressed the need to safeguard ideological values, calling the slogan “We are Pakistanis, Pakistan is ours” a guiding principle.

Paying tribute to the Pakistan Armed Forces, the senior minister said the sacrifices of the people of occupied Kashmir would not go in vain and expressed confidence that the Kashmir freedom movement would reach its logical conclusion.

Power Development Minister Chaudhry Rasheed described knowledge as “sadaqah jariyah” (continuous charity) and congratulated the organisers on holding the convention.

Stressing the importance of ideological clarity, he urged teachers to uphold their duties alongside their rights, describing teaching as a sacred profession.

He also noted that the day marked the birth anniversary of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and called for a renewal of commitment to the cause of accession to Pakistan.

The convention was attended by central, district and tehsil level representatives of teachers’ organisations from across AJK. Acknowledging that they had travelled to Muzaffarabad from far and wide, the prime minister announced Friday as a holiday in public sector schools.”

Published in Dawn, December 26th, 2025