Committee to deliberate on 12 seats reserved for Pakistan-based Kashmir refugees
MUZAFFARABAD: The federal government has notified a nine-member committee to review a contentious clause of the Muzaffarabad Agreement, signed nearly three months ago between the Centre, the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government, and the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC).
The notification, issued by the Ministry of Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan on December 29, surfaced on social media on Tuesday.
Committee Composition
According to the notification, the committee includes representatives from all three stakeholders.
The AJK government is represented by:
- Mian Abdul Waheed, senior-most AJK minister
- Sardar Tahir Anwar, advocate
- Raja Ejaz Ahmad Khan, advocate
The JKJAAC nominees include:
- Raja Amjad Ali Khan, advocate
- Sardar Arbab, advocate
- Saad Ansari, advocate
The federal government members, all from the Ministry of Law and Justice, are:
- Muhammad Khashihur Rehman, draftsman/additional secretary
- Hassan Mahmood, legislative adviser
- Taimoor Zareen Khan, consultant (research)
Mandate and Terms of Reference
Under its terms of reference, the committee will deliberate on the issue of “members of the AJK Legislative Assembly other than the AJK constituencies,” a phrase referring to the 12 legislative seats reserved for Pakistan-based refugees from Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
The committee has been authorised to meet as frequently as required and submit its recommendations to the Monitoring and Implementation (M&I) Committee established under the Muzaffarabad Agreement.
Background of the Agreement
The Muzaffarabad Agreement was signed in the early hours of October 4 following prolonged negotiations between an eight-member federal team and the JKJAAC leadership. The talks came after a week-long shutdown across AJK, during which at least 10 people, including activists and police personnel, were killed and dozens injured.
At the time of the agreement, an M&I Committee was also formed to oversee its implementation. The body includes federal ministers Amir Muqam and Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, along with two nominees each from the AJK government and the JKJAAC.
Implementation Concerns and Delays
The M&I Committee held its first meeting in Islamabad on October 21, and later decided to convene in Muzaffarabad on November 15. However, the meeting eventually took place on November 21, a day after the JKJAAC issued an open letter to AJK Prime Minister Raja Faisal Mumtaz Rathore, alleging that most provisions of the agreement had not been implemented within agreed timelines.
JKJAAC Voices Concern
When contacted, the JKJAAC expressed concern over what it described as an inordinate delay in constituting the committee.
“This step should have been taken within 15 days of the signing of the Muzaffarabad Agreement, but it took almost 90 days,” said Raja Amjad Ali Khan, a notified committee member, warning that public calls for renewed protests had already begun to emerge.