Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday welcomed the agreement reached between the government’s Negotiation Committee and the Joint Action Committee (JAC) in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, calling it a “great success for Pakistan and Azad Kashmir.”
The breakthrough has ended days of protests and unrest, with demonstrators dispersing, roads reopening, and life gradually returning to normal across the region.
The prime minister congratulated the government team and the Negotiation Committee for their “tireless efforts” and praised the JAC for choosing dialogue over confrontation. “Public interest and peace are our priority. We will continue to serve Azad Kashmir.
Finally, conspiracies and rumors have died down, and all issues were resolved amicably. Alhamdulillah,” Shehbaz said in his statement. He urged people not to be swayed by rumors and reassured them of his government’s commitment to safeguarding the rights of Kashmiris.
Federal ministers also confirmed the breakthrough. Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudhry announced on X that the agreement had been signed, protesters were returning home, and all roads had reopened.
He described the outcome as “a victory for peace” and revealed that a special committee would meet every two weeks to address pending issues. Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah echoed these remarks, emphasizing that the government’s commitment to peace had prevailed.
The second round of negotiations in Muzaffarabad was attended by senior government leaders including Rana Sanaullah, Ahsan Iqbal, Qamar Zaman Kaira, Sardar Yousaf, Engineer Amir Muqam, and Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, joined by former Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf and former AJK President Sardar Masood Khan. JAC representatives included Shaukat Nawaz Mir, Raja Amjad Advocate, and Anjum Zaman.
The deal came after a three-day shutter-down strike and communication blackout sparked by demands over subsidies, elite privileges, and reserved refugee seats. Despite mutual accusations of violence, the successful agreement has paved the way for calm and normalcy in Azad Kashmir.
