JI steps up opposition outreach to help defuse AJK crisis

ISLAMABAD: Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has expanded consultations with opposition leaders in an effort to help ease the crisis in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), holding separate meetings with PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, National Assembly Opposition Leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai, and former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi.

The meetings took place amid a worsening situation in AJK and after the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) offered mediation. In his meeting with Barrister Gohar, the PTI side included former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser, former AJK prime minister Abdul Qayyum Niazi, and former AJK Assembly speaker Khawaja Farooq. The delegation accompanying Mahmood Khan Achakzai included Tehreek-i-Tahaffuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan leaders Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar and party spokesperson Akhundzada Hussain Yousafzai.

Call for dialogue and restraint

Speaking alongside Barrister Gohar, Hafiz Naeem said the entire country was worried by the developments in AJK and said the Kashmir issue, as Pakistan’s longstanding national cause, should not be allowed to suffer because of the present turmoil. He said the situation could either be left to deteriorate further or responsible political leadership could intervene to reduce tensions.

He warned that the government also needed to play its part in preventing escalation and said a failure to act before matters became irreversible would cause serious harm.

Referring to differences between the authorities and protesters, the JI chief said the reasons behind public anger also had to be addressed. He said frustration grows when people feel their public mandate has not been respected.

In the same interaction, Barrister Gohar said political parties were united on the need to ensure the Kashmir cause did not suffer. He also underscored the importance of restoring supplies of essential commodities and said opposition parties would pursue political engagement to help improve the situation.

Meetings with opposition leaders

After meeting Mahmood Khan Achakzai, Hafiz Naeem said peace should be given an opportunity, warning that if the crisis remained unresolved it could deepen divisions that would become harder to bridge over time.

Achakzai said the Constitution protected the right to peaceful protest, while adding that a serious disconnect had emerged between the government and the JAAC. Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar said people across the country were concerned about the situation in AJK and appreciated JI’s effort to mediate.

During his separate meeting with former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Hafiz Naeem said JI had begun consultations with senior political figures, the government and other stakeholders to help work out a peaceful solution to the crisis.

In his remarks carried during the meetings, Hafiz Naeem said there were two possible paths forward and urged political actors to choose de-escalation. He said responsible leadership should step in and pour water on the fire to prevent further deterioration.