The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Joint Action Committee has released the list of demands accepted by the federal government following successful negotiations held late Friday night.
In a statement shared on social media, the committee said it had initially presented 38 demands and returned with 42 accepted points after discussions with the federal authorities. “All the demands of the Joint Action Committee of Azad Jammu and Kashmir have been accepted,” the committee announced, sharing images from the negotiation session.
According to the agreement, cases under the Anti-Terrorism Act will be registered over the loss of lives during recent violent incidents in AJK, and a judicial commission comprising a High Court judge will be formed to investigate cases in several districts, including Banjosa, Ploak, Muzaffarabad, Dirkot, Riyan, Kotli, and Mirpur.
The government also agreed that compensation for civilians killed on October 1 and 2 will be equal to that provided to police personnel. Each injured person will receive Rs 1 million, and the families of those killed will be given one job within 20 days.
Two additional education boards will be established in Muzaffarabad and Poonch divisions within 30 days, affiliated with the Federal Board of Education. The land acquired for the Mangla Dam in Mirpur will be regularized within the same period.
The Local Government Act of 1990 will be reinstated in accordance with court orders within 90 days, while the Sehat Card program will be launched in AJK within 15 days. The government also pledged to provide CT scan and MRI machines to every district hospital in phases, and the federal government will allocate Rs 10 billion to improve AJK’s electricity transmission system.
Other agreed measures include reducing the number of assembly members and advisors to 20, merging the Accountability Bureau and Anti-Corruption Establishment, and aligning the system with NAB laws. Feasibility studies will be conducted for two tunnels Kahori/Kamsir and Chaplani one of which is already funded by Saudi Arabia.
Seats reserved for refugees will remain suspended until a six-member legal committee, comprising representatives from Pakistan, the AJK government, and the Joint Action Committee, submits its recommendations. Plans were also announced to establish an international-standard airport in Mirpur during the current fiscal year.
Further commitments include aligning property tax rates with Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa within 90 days, ensuring implementation of the 2019 Hydel Project court decision, initiating water supply feasibility studies for all 10 districts, and upgrading tehsil hospitals with nursing staff and operation theatres.
Other projects will include the construction of bridges in Gulpur and Rahman (Kotli), reduction of advance tax, open merit admissions in educational institutions, water supply to Kashmir Colony Dhudial, and property rights for refugees in Mandore Colony Dhudial. The transport policy will also be reviewed per court directives, and all Kashmiris arrested in Rawalpindi and Islamabad on September 30, October 1, and October 2 will be released.
An Implementation and Monitoring Committee will be formed to oversee progress on the agreed points. The committee will include representatives from the Government of Pakistan Amir Maqam and Tariq Fazal Chaudhry two members from the AJK government, and two from the Joint Action Committee.
