There is a situation in AJK. An apolitical protest is getting out of control and spilling over into a march on the federal capital. Overblown by its organisers, the Joint Awami Action Committee in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and responded to very late by the authorities in Islamabad, the protest seems to be going over the brink. Reports say at least nine civilians were killed in clashes with security forces that also left three cops dead.
The 38-point charter of demands presented to the AJK government is not something new, as it has been in the wings for months. This uprising is an outcome of a series of indecisive talks between the Action Committee and those at the helm of affairs. The demands pertain to civic rights of the dwellers, with protesters calling for the removal of perks for ruling elites; abolition of 12 assembly seats reserved for Kashmiri migrants from occupied Kashmir; and provision of royalty for hydel power projects in the territory.
The consolation at this point of time is that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has constituted a high-powered committee to talk it out, and parleys continue in Muzaffarabad. The directives from Islamabad are to broker a deal, and let the fissure come to an end. Both the protesters and the security forces need to exhibit restraint and let the negotiations process take its due course.
The people of AJK have taken to the streets several times in the last few years, and it is high time they were heard and their grievances were addressed in a compassionate manner. The lockdown across AJK, now in its fifth day, is taking a toll on civic life , and it would be prudent on the part of both parties to ensure that the talks are meaningful, and tranquility is attained.
Civic rights movements are the order of the day, and Pakistan is not immune to it. The restlessness prevalent in AJK and Balochistan, apart from other peripheries, are primarily related to fundamental rights and social mobility. A genuine focus on it in an unbiased manner can make a difference. It’s time to usher in an era of healing.
