MUZAFFARABAD — Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudhry announced on Saturday that negotiations between the government and the Awami Action Committee (AAC) in Azad Jammu and Kashmir have made headway, with a final agreement expected to be signed soon.
In a post on X, Dr. Chaudhry said that “talks have concluded on key issues with the Awami Action Committee of AJK, and signing of a final accord is imminent.” He added that the concluding round of talks was underway and emphasized that “public interest and peace remain our foremost priorities.”
The second round of formal negotiations took place in Muzaffarabad, bringing together the government’s high-level team — including Senator Rana Sanaullah, Ahsan Iqbal, Sardar Yousaf, Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, Qamar Zaman Kaira, and Engineer Amir Muqam. Former prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf and former AJK president Sardar Masood Khan also joined the session.
The Awami Action Committee was represented by Shoaib Nawaz Mir, Raja Amjad Advocate, and Anjum Zaman, while AJK’s own government delegation also participated.
Earlier, Dr. Chaudhry had underlined that most of the AAC’s demands had already been accepted, while a few required constitutional amendments and were under discussion. He reiterated that “violence is no solution” and expressed hope that all disputes would be resolved through peaceful dialogue.
The breakthrough comes after three days of shutter-down strikes and a communications blackout that had paralyzed parts of AJK. Tensions rose last week after earlier negotiations collapsed over demands to end privileges for elites and reduce reserved seats for refugees. Protests later turned violent, with rival groups blaming one another for the escalation.
Observers say the latest progress has brought a sense of cautious optimism to Muzaffarabad, though the formal signing of an agreement will be the real test of whether calm can return to the region.
