Bilawal to meet PM Shehbaz as PPP pushes dialogue to resolve AJK tensions

• PPP holds AJK parliamentary party meeting in Islamabad, reviewing situation amid crackdown on JAAC leadership

• Bilawal expresses concern over prevailing tensions, reiterating that political matters should be addressed through negotiations

• JAAC demand to abolish 12 refugee seats sparks political standoff as AJK govt defends refugee seats and backs elections on schedule

• Federal paramilitary forces deployed to support local police

• Tariq Fazal Ch rejects claims of limited progress on agreement implementation with JAAC, saying remaining demands either in courts or not feasible in current form

  ISLAMABAD: PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Sunday said he would meet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif over the evolving situation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), asserting that political issues in the region would be resolved through dialogue.

He made the remarks while presiding over a meeting of the PPP’s AJK parliamentary party, which reviewed the prevailing political situation in the region. The PPP currently holds a majority in the AJK Legislative Assembly.

According to a party statement, PPP political affairs in-charge Faryal Talpur also attended the meeting held in Islamabad, where consultations were held on developments in AJK. Parliamentary party members presented their recommendations on the situation to the leadership.

اسلام آباد: پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی کے چیئرمین بلاول بھٹو زرداری کی سربراہی میں پی پی آزاد جموں و کشمیر کی پارلیمانی پارٹی کا اجلاس@BBhuttoZardari pic.twitter.com/6Bw5fEWwuN

— PPP (@MediaCellPPP) June 7, 2026

Bilawal expressed concern over the prevailing tensions in AJK, saying the party has always prioritised the rights and issues of the people of Kashmir. He reiterated that political matters should be addressed through negotiations.

اسلام آباد: پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی کے چیئرمین بلاول بھٹو زرداری کی سربراہی میں پی پی آزاد جموں و کشمیر کی پارلیمانی پارٹی کا اجلاس

اسلام آباد: چیئرمین بلاول بھٹو زرداری کے ہمراہ پی پی آزاد جموں و کشمیر کے سیاسی امور کی انچارج اور پی پی پی شعبہ خواتین کی مرکزی صدر فریال تالپور بھی… pic.twitter.com/acnV2nEFzn

— PPP (@MediaCellPPP) June 7, 2026

“I will meet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and a solution to the issues will be found through talks and within the framework of the assembly,” he said.

The meeting came a day after authorities in AJK launched a crackdown on the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), which had earlier been declared a proscribed organisation under anti-terrorism laws. Scores of its leaders and activists were arrested from different areas ahead of planned protests.

On Friday, the AJK government had notified the banning of JAAC, citing allegations that it was “engaged in terrorism” and had acted in a manner “prejudicial to peace and security” in the region. The group has rejected these allegations.

JAAC’s latest protest call centres on its demand to abolish 12 seats in the AJK Legislative Assembly reserved for refugees from Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir who settled in mainland Pakistan after 1947. The committee argues that these seats have at times been used by mainstream political parties to influence government formation in Muzaffarabad.

On Thursday, the AJK Legislative Assembly defended the existing arrangement, backing the continuation of refugee seats and calling for timely elections in the region scheduled for June 27.

Meanwhile, Islamabad has dispatched federal paramilitary forces to support the local police amid rising tensions.

AJK authorities have also advised visitors to postpone travel to the region until June 20, citing security concerns ahead of the planned protests.

 Govt says 35 of 38 JAAC demands fulfilled, urges dialogue over protests

Earlier on Sunday, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry on Sunday rejected what he termed “negative propaganda” claiming that the government had fulfilled only three out of 38 demands of the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), asserting that the majority of the agreed points had already been implemented.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, he said that “35 out of 38 demands have been implemented,” while the remaining issues were either pending due to court orders or were not feasible in their current form. He maintained that the government remained open to dialogue on outstanding matters.

He stressed that the solution to political and administrative issues could not come through violent demonstrations and that dialogue was the only viable way forward. He alleged that misinformation was being spread suggesting minimal progress on the implementation of the agreement.

The minister questioned whether the unrest was aimed at portraying Pakistan and AJK as separate entities, weakening the constitutional relationship between the two, creating divisions between refugees from Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir and the people of AJK, or undermining the Kashmir cause.

He said the government had not ignored JAAC’s demands, adding that engagement continued despite what he described as contradictory approaches from the protest leadership. “When we talk to them about resolving issues through dialogue, they respond with violent demonstrations,” he said.

At the outset of the press briefing, Chaudhry alleged that certain elements were attempting to create unrest ahead of the July 27 elections in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and warned against efforts to revive past episodes of instability in the region.

Recalling the background of the movement, he said the JAAC was formed in September 2023 with three initial demands: subsidy on flour, reduction in electricity tariffs, and curbs on elite privileges. He said these demands were followed by a shutter-down strike and demonstrations in 2024, after which the government, according to him, implemented all agreed points.

He said a fresh wave of protests emerged in September 2025, when a charter of 38 demands was presented and an agreement was signed with JAAC on October 4. Since then, he added, monthly meetings had been held between government representatives and JAAC leadership, including meetings chaired by Kashmir Affairs Minister Amir Muqam, to review progress.

Chaudhry said a federal ministerial committee also met JAAC representatives in Muzaffarabad on May 30, during which the issue of abolishing 12 refugee seats in the AJK Legislative Assembly was raised. He said the government had proposed that the matter be discussed in an all-parties conference.

He noted that approximately 2–2.2 million Kashmiri refugees were residing in Pakistan and said that “12 people sitting in a closed room cannot abolish those seats.” He added that such constitutional matters should be debated either in the AJK Legislative Assembly or adjudicated by the AJK Supreme Court.

He further said the government had requested JAAC to postpone its June 9 protest by 8–10 days to allow space for consultations with senior leadership and to explore a negotiated solution.

Reiterating his claim, he said 35 of the 38 demands had been fulfilled, including withdrawal of FIRs against JAAC protesters, reinstatement of government employees involved in demonstrations, feasibility work on the Kahuta–Azad Pattan road in Sudhnoti district, procurement of electricity meters through e-tendering, measures to address internet connectivity issues, and the establishment of a garbage collection system.

He added that other implemented measures included amendments to local government laws, establishment of two federal boards, and restoration of the health card facility in AJK.

Chaudhry said while many commitments could be executed through administrative orders, others involved development projects requiring time, noting that such initiatives could not be completed within three to four months.

“It is not justified to hold long marches every six months under such circumstances,” he said, reiterating that dialogue remained the only sustainable path forward.