By Tariq Naqash
Copyright dawn
AJK PM, PML-N leader congratulate govt on defence pact with Saudi Arabia
• House offers Fateha for APHC leader Abdul Ghani Bhat
MUZAFFARABAD: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly on Thursday warned that, as custodian of the legal and constitutional rights of the Kashmiri people, it would crush any attempt by disruptive elements to undermine the state’s Constitution.
“The house stands firmly behind the government in thwarting every conspiracy to dissolve the geographical, constitutional and political setup of the liberated territory of Jammu and Kashmir, and reiterates its resolve that the people will not be left at the mercy of anarchist groups,” said a resolution, moved jointly by regional heads of PPP, PML-N and Muslim Conference, along with eight cabinet members from PPP, PML-N and PTI ‘forward bloc’.
The session, convened after a gap of more than 40 days, was presided over by Speaker Chaudhry Latif Akbar. From the six-member opposition, PTI’s Hamid Raza and Jammu Kashmir People’s Party’s sole lawmaker and its regional head, Sardar Hassan Ibrahim, attended the session.
The resolution endorsed Tuesday’s declaration adopted at a multi-party conference in Kashmir House in response to the strike call by the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC), though it referred to the body only as a “pressure group” without naming it directly.
However, Mr Ibrahim objected to the third and fifth paragraphs after Raja Farooq Haider, also among the movers, had completed its reading. Those paragraphs suggested that any forum or pressure group formed with India’s facilitation would be denied a role in decisions concerning public interest, and that the assembly fully reposed its trust in the AJK cabinet and in the steps the AJK and federal governments might take to maintain peace and curb provocation.
Mr Ibrahim argued that while subversive elements existed within the civil society alliance, branding the entire platform as an Indian creation was unjust. He recalled that the treasury had agreed to revise the contentious clauses, failing which he would not support the resolution. The chair then allowed him to read out amended paragraphs, which stated: “Any attempt to disturb the atmosphere in Azad Kashmir through any covert or overt support from India will be vigorously resisted. This house demands that the government exercise its constitutional and legal powers to take necessary measures for the restoration of law and order.”
The revised version was unanimously approved.
In another unanimously passed resolution, PPP regional president Chaudhry Yasin said the AJK legislature would not hesitate to make any sacrifice for the supremacy of the Constitution and the rule of law.
“This house is the supreme institution, enjoying sole rights of legislation in the interest of the state and its people. Anarchy is being spread under a conspiracy in this peaceful and sensitive region. This house assures that neither the state nor its people will be left at the mercy of mobs, and that constitutional rule will be ensured at all costs,” it read.
The assembly also adopted a resolution moved by Minister for Mangla Dam Affairs Chaudhry Qasim Majeed, paying tribute to the late All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) leader Abdul Ghani Bhat, who passed away in occupied Kashmir the other day. The house offered Fateha for him and other martyrs from armed forces as well as those who lost lives in recent floods.
Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq and PML-N regional president Shah Ghulam Qadir, speaking on the floor, congratulated the government of Pakistan for its defence pact with Saudi Arabia, saying it would go a long way in ensuring regional peace and stability and serve as a deterrence against Israel and India.
Other resolutions lauded the armed forces for their performance during escalations with India and operations against terrorists, condemned Israeli aggression in Gaza and its attack on Qatar, and decried atrocities in occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
Published in Dawn, September 19th, 2025
