AJK refugee seats cannot be abolished, Senate told

Responding to a point raised by the upper house’s opposition leader, Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, Sanaullah said the seats could not be abolished through executive orders. He added that all political parties in AJK, its parliament and other constitutional for­ums supported retaining refugee representation within the constitutional framework. The adviser said the government had accepted 37 of the 38 demands put forward by the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC). “The government remained engaged with JAAC for several months,” he said, adding that a written agreement was signed after negotiations on 37 demands. “The sole outstanding demand concerning refugee seats in the AJK Legislative Assembly involved constitutional and legal complexities,” he told the House. On June 5, the AJK government designated JAAC a proscribed organisation under anti-terrorism laws. Mr Sanaullah said JAAC had initially emerged in 2023 with demands relating to electricity tariffs and wheat subsidies. He added that the government addressed the committee’s major demands by providing electricity at Rs4 per unit, subsidised wheat and a Rs23 billion relief package for the region. He alleged that certain elements sought to create instability ahead of the upcoming elections in AJK despite repeated offers of dialogue. “They knew the polls are due before August 4 and gave a call for protest on June 9 back in January,” he said, adding that peace