MUZAFFARABAD, March 22: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government, on Friday, reached a reconciliation deal with the protesting traders, after committing “appropriate and swift” action on most of their demands.
The compromise was declared at a press conference by Prime Minister Chaudhry Abdul Majeed in the presence of representatives of traders, led by Shaukat Nawaz Mir, Chairman Markazi Anjuman-i-Taajran, Muzaffarabad.
Earlier, the AJK capital had to undergo a crippling strike by traders, against unrelenting and untimely loadshedding. The strike had later turned violent when police authorities sought to contain the situation.
As a result dozens, including police personnel, sustained injuries. The police authorities arrested 14 protesters and further arrests were also, reportedly, being contemplated.However, Prime Minister Majeed shunned the reports offering unconditional release of the detainees.“Ours is a sensitive area and we must be very careful in our conduct, lest it might not be negatively exploited by anyone,” he said, while terming the yesterday’s happenings as “unfortunate.”The Prime minister pushed towards patience and mutual understanding stating government’s limitations over certain issues as a realistic realisation, apparently in reference to AJK government’s powerlessness in some areas.The prime minister announced on the occasion that he would chair a meeting of senior government officials on early Saturday to take swift and appropriate action on demands as decided in the agreed compromise.Earlier, Mr Majeed asked minister for school education, Mian Abdul Waheed, to brief the media on the salient features of the agreement. The minister himself was part of the official team which had negotiated with the traders.When questioned why the ministerial team did not reach out to the traders on Thursday, when their procession reached near Sathra, he claimed that the protests had grown violent while they were en route. He further stated that the Prime Minister had strictly directed the administration and police to avoid use of force till the very last moment.“However, some vested interests sabotaged the trader’s rally as they had joined it with an agenda to create law and order problem,” he said, without naming anyone in particular.Mr Waheed maintained that resolution of most of the issues raised by the traders was already in the pipeline but it could not be propagated effectively “due to a communication gap.”Regarding the issue of loadshedding, he said though it was outside the purview of the AJK government, the Prime Minister had spoken to chairman Wapda himself, propagating for strictly scheduled loadshedding.