• JAAC accuses govt of repeatedly violating agreement signed after deadly protests
• Compensation promised to families of protest victims remains incomplete; FIRs against activists, civilians ‘not withdrawn’; travel restrictions continue to affect youth seeking jobs abroad

MUZAFFARABAD: The Jammu and Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) has accused the government of violating a landmark agreement signed in October last year and has urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to intervene, citing serious delays in implementation and expressing concern over the induction of a “controversial figure” into the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) ahead of the upcoming elections in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

In an open letter addressed to the prime minister on Saturday, the JAAC said the agreement was signed on October 3–4, 2025, following deadly protests in late September that claimed several lives. A high-powered delegation from Islamabad, dispatched on the premier’s directives, had visited Muzaffarabad and concluded what the committee described as a historic accord, reassuring the people of AJK of Pakistan’s commitment to safeguarding their legitimate rights.

However, the committee alleged that the agreement had been repeatedly breached. It pointed out that the final clause required meetings of the negotiating committee to be held every 15 days, followed by the issuance of an official communiqué. Over the subsequent three months, however, only two meetings were held, on October 21 and November 4. A third meeting scheduled for January 5 this year was boycotted by the JAAC.

The committee also highlighted delays and shortcomings in the implementation of the Health Card Scheme. Although funds were released after a delay of more than 100 days, many major local hospitals in AJK were not included in the State Life Insurance Corporation’s panel. This, it said, would force even poor patients to travel to Rawalpindi or Islamabad for treatment, undermining the utility of the scheme.

Referring to compensation for victims of the protests, the JAAC said the agreement promised financial compensation equivalent to law enforcement allowances for those killed on October 1 and 2, Rs1 million for each gunshot injury, and a government job for a family member of each deceased person within 20 days.

“However, this clause has yet to be fully implemented, which amounts to a serious breach of the agreement,” the letter stated.

The committee further said that FIRs registered against JAAC members and members of the public between May 9, 2023, and October 4, 2025, were to be withdrawn under the agreement, but the issue remained unresolved. It added that young people continued to face difficulties in obtaining police character certificates, while several individuals seeking employment abroad had been offloaded from flights and arrested after being placed on exit and passport control lists, causing financial losses and mental distress.

The JAAC also accused the authorities of violating another clause calling for the formation of a high-powered committee to review the issue of AJK Assembly members elected from constituencies outside the territory. It said the committee’s formation had been unjustifiably delayed, while MLAs elected on refugee seats were granted parliamentary privileges and standing committee positions. The committee further alleged that non-residents continued to be admitted to educational institutions under refugee quotas, in violation of the agreement.

Expressing alarm over political developments ahead of the forthcoming AJK elections, the JAAC strongly criticised the PML-N for inducting Saqib Majeed, whom it accused of opening fire on peaceful protesters in Muzaffarabad on September 29, 2025, killing three people and injuring dozens. The committee said the incident had triggered widespread protests and clashes across AJK, resulting in further loss of life.

It noted that Mr Majeed, the son-in-law of Muslim Conference chief Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan and a former chief organiser of the party, was now being given political cover by the PML-N, a move it said had generated strong resentment across the region.

The JAAC said it had boycotted the negotiation process in protest against Mr Majeed’s inclusion in the PML-N and urged the prime minister to take personal interest in the matter, hold the local PML-N leadership accountable, and reconsider the party’s decision to induct what it described as an individual responsible for killing peaceful demonstrators.

Published in Dawn, January 18th, 2026