Dialogue only solution to AJK crisis, govt should avoid use of force: JI chief

ISLAMABAD: Jamaat-i-Islami Pakistan (JI) Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Monday said that meaningful negotiations were the only solution to the ongoing situation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), urging the government to avoid the use of force and immediately engage with the proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC). On June 5, the JAAC was declared a proscribed organisation by the regional government and placed under the First Schedule of the region’s anti-terrorism act (ATA). Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, Rehman said JI had accepted the responsibility of mediation and was playing its role in restoring trust between the government and the committee to prevent “bloodshed and unrest”. JI AJK Emir Dr Mushtaq Khan, former AJK emir Dr Khalid Mahmood, JI Deputy Secretary General Syed Farasat Shah and Islamabad Emir Nasrullah Randhawa were also present on the occasion. “JAAC has expressed complete confidence in Jamaat-i-Islami and postponed its long march, sending a positive message,” he said. He urged the government to also act with seriousness and begin negotiations to resolve the legitimate demands of the people. “The AJK situation should not be allowed to reach a point where India could exploit it for propaganda against Pakistan and the Kashmir cause,” the JI emir said. “Jamaat-i-Islami’s mediation with the JAAC is within the constitutional and national framework of Pakistan and the Kashmir issue. As long as this framework remains intact, every possible effort will be made to resolve the matter,” he added. Rejecting the impression that the situation had reached a “point of no return,” Rehman said the door for negotiations was still open. “We do not agree with the government’s position that the situation has gone beyond control. Dialogue is still possible, and Jamaat-e-Islami is ready to play its role.” He said JI had been trying from the very beginning to ensure a peaceful resolution of the AJK issue. Following the acceptance of its mediation offer, the