Rana Sanaullah, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs, stated on Saturday that foreign elements are financing the proscribed Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC). He noted that the banned group has declined several proposals aimed at peacefully resolving ongoing disputes.
During a televised discussion, Sanaullah highlighted that JAAC had never previously demanded the abolition of the 12 refugee seats in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Assembly until October 2025, when it submitted this demand alongside 38 others. At that time, the group agreed to establish a committee to address the issue.
On June 5, the AJK government officially declared JAAC a banned organization under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), citing its involvement in terrorist activities. This ban was imposed just days before JAAC’s planned protest on June 9, which aimed to abolish the 12 seats reserved for refugees from Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) who migrated to Pakistan after 1947.
In a significant development, Sanaullah revealed that JAAC had introduced a new demand: the removal of the clause in the AJK Assembly election undertaking that states Kashmir will accede to Pakistan after independence. Investigations uncovered that external actors, including members of the Pakistani diaspora in the United Kingdom, are funding the banned group.
The federal government had proposed various solutions to the dispute over refugee seats, such as holding a referendum, convening an all-parties conference, and referring the matter to the AJK Assembly for resolution. However, JAAC rejected all these offers and insisted on proceeding with its June 9 protest.
Sanaullah dismissed accusations that the refugee seats were being exploited for electoral rigging, emphasizing that these seats are specifically reserved for those who migrated from IIOJK. He questioned, “If you exclude the refugees from the Jammu Valley, what remains of your movement for IIOJK’s freedom?”
While reaffirming the public’s right to peaceful assembly, Sanaullah stressed that no individual or group has the right to take up arms or seize control of Islamabad or Muzaffarabad.
Separately, AJK Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore described the current situation in the region as challenging and a test for the state. He acknowledged the significant human cost of lives lost during JAAC’s protests, stating that these losses cannot be ignored.
Rathore recalled that previous negotiations with JAAC also resulted in casualties. He noted that the banned group had disregarded his earlier remarks and sought to exclude the AJK government from reconciliation efforts. The premier expressed regret that the AJK government faced criticism despite JAAC’s insistence on negotiating solely with the federal government.
Referring to prior agreements, Rathore affirmed that the commitments made by the AJK government had been fulfilled.
