PM Shehbaz says law took its course in AJK after 'unfortunate events' in recent months

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif addressed a ceremony in Islamabad to administer the oath to four members of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Council, who were nominated by the AJK Legislative Assembly. The Prime Minister, who is also the chairman of the council, expressed regret over "unfortunate events" that occurred in the region in recent months.

He did not name any specific individuals but seemed to reference protests by the proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), which had clashed with the government over the abolition of 12 refugee seats in the AJK Legislative Assembly. The JAAC was subsequently declared a proscribed organization and faced a crackdown by the regional authorities, leading to the arrest of several leaders and the placement of 147 activists under the anti-terrorism act.

During his address, Prime Minister Shehbaz recalled an all-parties conference in Muzaffarabad where all parties spoke freely. It was agreed during the meeting that decisions made by the new legislative assembly after elections would be respected, regardless of the method used to reach that decision. However, the members of the JAAC did not accept this suggestion.

Despite this, the Prime Minister stated that Pakistan had to fulfill its political and legal obligations, as forces were working against Pakistan and the Kashmir cause, potentially on foreign agendas.

The Prime Minister also paid tribute to the Pakistani military's role during the four-day military conflict with India in May, praising Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir's leadership and the historical lesson taught to the adversary. He congratulated the newly-elected members of the AJK Council and emphasized that the council serves as a bridge between Pakistan and AJK.

The Prime Minister expressed his honor in having the opportunity to strengthen this bridge and pledged to work harder for the progress and development of AJK. He also called on the AJK president and prime minister to fulfill their constitutional duties and resolve the public's issues, stating that the federal government would mobilize resources to support their development efforts.

The four council members sworn in today were former AJK Legislative Assembly speaker Chaudhry Latif Akbar of the PPP, former minister Mushtaq Ahmed Minhas of the PML-N, former minister Chaudhry Muhammad Saeed of the PML-N, and Chaudhry Manzoor Ahmed of the PML-N.