• JAAC accuses govt of repeatedly violating settlement signed after lethal protests
• Compensation promised to households of protest victims stays incomplete; FIRs in opposition to activists, civilians ‘not withdrawn’; Journey restrictions proceed to have an effect on youth in search of jobs overseas
MUZAFFARABAD: The Jammu and Kashmir Joint Awami Motion Committee (JAAC) has accused the federal government of violating a landmark settlement signed in October final yr and has urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to intervene, citing severe delays in implementation and expressing concern over the induction of a “controversial determine” into the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) forward of the upcoming elections in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
In an open letter addressed to the prime minister on Saturday, the JAAC stated the settlement was signed on October 3-4, 2025, following lethal protests in late September that claimed a number of lives. A high-powered delegation from Islamabad, dispatched on the prime minister’s directives, had visited Muzaffarabad and concluded what the committee described as a historic settlement, reassuring the individuals of AJK of Pakistan’s dedication to safeguarding their professional rights.
Nonetheless, the committee alleged that the settlement had been repeatedly breached. It identified that the ultimate clause required conferences of the negotiating committee to be held each 15 days, adopted by the issuance of an official communiqué. Over the following three months, nonetheless, solely two conferences have been held, on October 21 and November 4. A 3rd assembly scheduled for January 5 this yr was boycotted by the JAAC.
The committee additionally highlighted delays and shortcomings within the implementation of the Well being Card Scheme. Though funds have been launched after a delay of greater than 100 days, many main native hospitals in AJK weren’t included within the State Life Insurance coverage Company’s panel. This, it stated, would power even poor sufferers to journey to Rawalpindi or Islamabad for therapy, undermining the utility of the scheme.
Referring to compensation for victims of the protests, the JAAC stated the settlement promised monetary compensation equal to regulation enforcement allowances for these killed on October 1 and a couple of, Rs1 million for every gunshot damage, and a authorities job for a member of the family of every deceased particular person inside 20 days.
“Nonetheless, this clause has but to be totally carried out, which quantities to a severe breach of the settlement,” the letter said.
The committee additional stated that FIRs registered in opposition to JAAC members and members of the general public between Might 9, 2023, and October 4, 2025, have been to be withdrawn beneath the settlement, however the challenge remained unresolved. It added that younger individuals continued to face difficulties in acquiring police character certificates, whereas a number of people in search of employment overseas had been offloaded from flights and arrested after being positioned on exit and passport management lists, inflicting monetary losses and psychological misery.
The JAAC additionally accused the authorities of violating one other clause calling for the formation of a high-powered committee to evaluation the problem of AJK Meeting members elected from constituencies exterior the territory. It stated the committee’s formation had been unjustifiably delayed, whereas MLAs elected on refugee seats have been granted parliamentary privileges and standing committee positions. The committee additional alleged that non-residents continued to be admitted to instructional establishments beneath refugee quotas, in violation of the settlement.
Expressing alarm over political developments forward of the forthcoming AJK elections, the JAAC strongly criticized the PML-N for inducting Saqib Majeed, whom it accused of opening hearth on peaceable protesters in Muzaffarabad on September 29, 2025, killing three individuals and injuring dozens. The committee stated the incident had triggered widespread protests and clashes throughout AJK, leading to additional lack of life.
It famous that Mr. Majeed, the son-in-law of Muslim Convention chief Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan and a former chief organizer of the celebration, was now being given political cowl by the PML-N, a transfer it stated had generated robust resentment throughout the area.
The JAAC stated it had boycotted the negotiation course of in protest in opposition to Mr. Majeed’s inclusion within the PML-N and urged the prime minister to take private curiosity within the matter, maintain the native PML-N management accountable, and rethink the celebration’s choice to induct what it described as a person answerable for killing peaceable demonstrators.
Printed in Daybreak, January 18th, 2026

