AJK govt rules out 'blanket amnesty' for proscribed JAAC leaders

MUZAFFARABAD: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government on Tuesday ruled out any blanket amnesty for leaders of the proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), holding them responsible for recent deaths and violence and vowing to pursue legal action against them. The regional administration and the JAAC remain at odds over various issues, most notably the committee’s demand to abolish the 12 seats in the region’s Legislative Assembly that are reserved for refugees from Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir who settled in mainland Pakistan after 1947. Addressing a joint press conference alongside Inspector General of Police (IGP) Liaqat Ali Malik, Chief Secretary Khushal Khan said the JAAC leadership had become divided over the ongoing process of negotiations and mediation. “There will be no blanket amnesty,” he said, adding that the leadership of the proscribed organisation would have to face the consequences of the deaths and violence linked to its movement. On Tuesday, a strike called by the JAAC continued in various parts of the region, with Muzaffarabad and Poonch divisions observing a partial strike. Meanwhile, most routine activities had resumed in Mirpur. While some banks across AJK began their operations, connectivity issues persisted as internet services remained suspended. Public transport also remained off the roads in many areas. At the press conference, Khushal said the government had offered the JAAC several constitutional options to pursue its demand regarding the 12 Legislative Assembly seats reserved for refugees from India-held Kashmir, including an all-parties conference, an assembly session and recourse to the courts. He claimed that while the government had kept all channels of dialogue open, the organisation had expanded its demands from two points to 38, and then added further demands. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry has maintained that 35 out of 38 demands of the JAAC, agreed between it and the government last October, h