PM reviews AJK situation as protests ease in some areas

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday reviewed the law and order situation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and reiterated that all available resources would be used for the welfare and development of the people of Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.

The prime minister made the remarks during a meeting at the PM House with Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Amir Muqam. Presented in the meeting, the intensity of the month-long protests launched in AJK by the proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee had declined, though demonstrations were still continuing in Rawalakot and surrounding areas.

Officials briefed the prime minister that protesters were maintaining a sit-in in Rawalakot, while the situation in Muzaffarabad and nearby localities had been reported as calm. The meeting focused on the prevailing security and administrative situation in the region.

Federal Minister for Public Affairs Rana Mubashir Iqbal, Minister of State for Power Abdul Rehman Kanju and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Talha Barki also attended the meeting. Alongside the AJK law and order review, participants discussed the broader political situation in the country.

During the discussion, Prime Minister Shehbaz directed the relevant authorities to speed up work on the government’s public service agenda and ensure that addressing people’s problems remained the top priority.

In a separate meeting, former National Assembly deputy speaker and PML-N Khyber Pakhtunkhwa General Secretary Murtaza Javed Abbasi also called on the prime minister. According to a statement issued by the PM Office, the two sides exchanged views on the overall political situation in the country.

Rana Mubashir Iqbal, Abdul Rehman Kanju and Talha Barki were also present during that meeting, according to the PM Office statement.