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Profit PM APPROVES RS23B GRANT FOR AJK AMID WIDESPREAD PROTESTS Tuesday, 14 May, 2024 I |5 Zil-Qadah, 1445
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Rs 50.00 | Vol XIV No 314 I 36 Pages I Islamabad Edition
DECISION TAKEN IN WAKE OF NEGOTIATIONS g PM SHEHBAZ EMPHASIZES NEED FOR ZERO BETWEEN PROTESTERS, AJK GOVERNMENT TOLERANCE TOWARDS VIGILANTISM
AJK govt accepts ‘all demands of AAC’ as protesters march towards Muzaffarabad MUZAFFARABAD
STAFF REPORT
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ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT
RIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif has swiftly sanctioned a Rs23 billion grant to address the pressing issues faced by the people of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). This decision follows widespread protests organized by the Awami Action Committee (AAC) against inflated electricity bills and taxes in AJK. The approval of the grant took place during a special meeting chaired by the Prime Minister in Islamabad, specifically convened to address the unrest in AJK. Federal ministers and leaders of allied parties participated in the meeting, where the evolving situation in the territory was thoroughly reviewed. The Kashmiri leadership and meeting participants expressed gratitude to PM Shehbaz for the timely grant. In attendance were AJK President
Barrister Sultan Mehmood, AJK PM Anwarul Haq, PML-N leader Raja Farooq Haider, Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs Amir Muqam, Minister for Energy Awais Leghari, and other prominent political figures. The meeting was called in response to the ongoing situation in AJK, particularly after negotiations between protesters and the government reached an impasse. Earlier in the day, a long march organized by the AAC commenced its journey towards the AJK capital, Muzaffarabad, on the fourth day of the wheeljam strike. Protesters staged sit-ins, disrupting the Kohala–Muzaffarabad Road at various points. This vital road link, spanning 40 kilometers and connecting Kohala town to Muzaffarabad, was affected by the protests. In light of clashes between police and protesters in Mirpur, which resulted in the tragic death of a police officer and injuries to over 70 individuals, the AJK government deployed Rangers and AJK
Following a wheel-jam strike and violent protests against hike in electricity price and taxes entered fourth day, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq has announced that the state government accepted all demands of the Awami Action Committee (AAC). “No one can reject two fundamental demands regarding cheap roti [bread] and electricity,” PM Anwar said while addressing a press conference in Islamabad on Monday, adding that PM Shehbaz Sharif assured of his all-out support to address issues of the AJK people. He clarified that neither the government had intentions to disrupt peaceful struggle of the AJK people nor would it try to impact any such struggle in future.
He said that the government exhibited tolerance and patience despite violations of the law and added that more than 100 policemen were wounded in violent clashes with the protesters, whereas, not a “single marcher was injured”. Accepting all demands placed by the AAC, the AJK government issued a notification regarding subsidies for power and food commodities. He hoped that peace would be restored in the region after implementation of the much-anticipated notifications. Terming the subsidies as a Pakistani government’s “special connection” with the region, Anwar said that the top political and military leadership proved its concrete relationship and respect for the AJK people. He announced that Islamabad will provide Rs23 billion funds to the AJK government.
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police. Subsequently, heavy police contingents were stationed at key locations, with markets, trade centers, and educational institutions shuttered, and transportation services halted. Expressing deep concern over the violent clashes, PM Shehbaz emphasized the need for zero tolerance towards vigilantism. He directed dialogue between PML-N office bearers in AJK and AAC leaders, urging all parties to seek peaceful resolutions to their demands. The protests in AJK, initially triggered
by the AAC’s call for a shutter-down strike against electricity price hikes and taxes, escalated into clashes between protesters and police. The violence resulted in casualties and widespread disruption across AJK, prompting police crackdowns and the suspension of mobile phone and internet services in affected areas. The government’s swift action through the grant allocation underscores its commitment to addressing the grievances of the people of AJK and restoring peace and normalcy in the region.
AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan where his party’s government were recently ousted and predicted further unrest due to increased taxes and utility bills in the upcoming budget. Regarding allegations against him, Khan addressed the matter of a £190 million contract, attributing secrecy demands to a property tycoon and the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA). He clarified that the funds seized in the UK were due to suspicious transactions, not money laundering. Khan underscored the losses incurred by Pakistan in foreign
court cases and defended the allocation of funds to Al-Qadir Trust University. He said that Nawaz Sharif bought a bullet-proof car for only Rs600,000 from Toshakhana (the state’s gift depository), and still he is believed to absolved of all charges. He said Zardari took three vehicles from Toshakhana, and he is seeking immunity from the court. Khan said Hasan Sharif sold property worth 18 billion rupees, and no one is discussing it. He mentioned a fourth case related to Toshakhana that is forthcoming against him. “I will not depart the country like Zardari and Nawaz Sharif… they possess palaces abroad and engage in shopping there,” he said. Responding to questions about Shahzad Akbar and Farah Gogi, Khan clarified he had only met thrice with Gogi as she was related to his wife, Bushra Bibi, and hinted at repercussions for Akbar upon his return to the country. “In current circumstances, if Shahzad Akbar comes [back to the country], he will be picked up from the airport… there is a law of the jungle in the country, and the king of the jungle is running everything,” he said in a veiled reference to army chief. Khan acknowledged that the firebrand party leader, Sher Afzal Marwat, had contributed significantly to the party’s efforts. Nonetheless, he said Marwat had been cautioned multiple times against breaching party policy.
Imran to write to Army Chief on prevalent ‘crisis situation’ ISLAMABAD
MIAN ABRAR
Former prime minister and founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan on Monday said he would write a letter to army chief General Asim Munir regarding the prevailing situation in the country. Khan, currently detained in Adiala Jail, has recently been remained defiant and refused to yield to military pressures. Khan also stood firm against calls to apologise for the May 9 incidents and distanced his party from last year’s violent protests that erupted nationwide following his arrest. Khan’s defiance follows the recent press conference by the Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), where he urged those involved in the May 9 protests to seek forgiveness and abandon the politics of “anarchy” before engaging in dialogue. The military spokesperson categorically dismissed the prospect of dialogue with individuals who targeted military installations and disrespected the nation’s martyrs. Addressing the media within Adiala Jail on Monday, Imran Khan expressed his intent to correspond with the army chief regarding the country’s state. He asserted, “A government must be formed in accordance with the public mandate, without which the country cannot function.” Khan highlighted the dire economic situation, citing a staggering Rs13.3 tril-
lion in tax collection contrasted with Rs9.3 trillion paid in loan interest. He queried, “How can a nation of 240 million people sustain under such conditions?” Predicting further increases in electricity and gas prices ahead of the budget, Khan warned of impending turmoil for the salaried class. Expressing concern over ongoing protests in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) against inflated power bills, Khan lamented what he perceived as the demise of democracy in the country. He cited recent governmental changes in
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ECP suspends victory notifications of 77 lawmakers on reserved seats
ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday suspended the notifications of 77 returned candidates on reserved seats in the national and provincial assemblies till further orders. The lawmakers include 27 Punjab Assembly lawmakers — belonging to the ruling coalition — suspended last week by Speaker Malik Mohammad Ahmed Khan and barred from joining the house proceedings. In a notification issued today, the ECP said the decision was made pursuant to the Supreme Court’s May 6 order, wherein it had suspended the verdict of the Peshawar High Court (PHC) denying the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) reserved seats for women and minorities. The suspended lawmakers comprise those given additional reserved seats for women and minorities in the National Assembly and all provincial legislatures barring Balochistan. The MNAs suspended include eight women from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 11 women from Punjab and three minority candidates. In the KP Assembly, 21 women and four minority lawmakers were suspended while in the Sindh Assembly, the membership of two female and a male member on minority seat was revoked till further orders. Those suspended in the Punjab Assembly — now by the ECP as well — comprise 24 on women’s seats and three on minority seats. National Assembly 8 women from KP 11 women from Punjab 3 minority KP Assembly 21 women 4 minority Punjab Assembly 24 women 3 minority Sindh Assembly 2 women 1 minority The SIC had earlier been joined by PTI-backed independent candidates after they won the Feb 8 elections as their party was deprived of its electoral symbol ‘bat’. In a 4-1 verdict in March, the ECP had ruled that the SIC was not entitled to claim quota for reserved seats “due to having non curable legal defects and violation of a mandatory provision of submission of party list for reserved seats”. The commission had also decided to distribute the seats among other parliamentary parties, with the PML-N and the PPP becoming major beneficiaries with 16 and five additional seats while the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam Fazl was given four. Later the same month, the PHC had dismissed an SIC plea challenging the ECP decision and denied it reserved seats. Last month, the SIC filed a petition before the SC — moved by party chief Sahibzada Hamid Raza — seeking to set aside the PHC judgment. Suspending the PHC and ECP verdicts, the apex court had said the order applied only to the reserved seats distributed over and above the initially allocated reserved seats to the political parties.
Ruckus in National Assembly as Khawaja Asif, Omar Ayub trade barbs ISLAMABAD
STAFF CORRESPONDENT
The National Assembly proceedings descended into a commotion and ruckus on Monday as Defence Minister Khwaja Asif and opposition leader Omar Ayub traded barbs over treason proceedings for violators of Article 6 and where the process should begin. Article 6 of the Constitution says: “Any person who abrogates or subverts or suspends or hold in abeyance, or attempts or conspires to abrogate or subvert or suspend or hold in abeyance the Constitution by use of force or show force or by any other unconstitutional means shall be guilty of high treason.” The punishment for high treason is death or lifetime imprisonment, according to the High Treason (Punishment) Act, 1973. During the NA session, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly (NA) Omar Ayub began his address by quoting articles of the Constitution and calling for security agencies to return to the bounds mandated to them. Criticising last week’s “political press conference” by the director general (DG) of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR),
Ayub said: “Security agencies cannot indulge in politics as per the Constitution,” adding that they were “tools of the state, not the state itself”. Quoting Article 7 of the Constitution, he said it did not include security institutions within its ambit of defining the state. “The state is the federal government, the national and provincial assemblies […] and bodies who can collect taxes,” Ayub clarified. “These agencies serve the state, they cannot be the state.” Citing Article 203 — the oath of an officer— he called the DG ISPR’s press conference “interference in the political realm”, which he said was only for elected officials and political parties. “Security institutions cannot indulge in politics as per this Constitution. This press conference should not have happened.” He then quoted Article 5, which is about loyalty to the state. “This is the basic duty of every citizen of Pakistan,” Ayub said, adding that all Pakistanis, including military officers, were bound to follow Article 5. He added that the armed specifically took an oath to this effect. “This is the one red line that Pakistanis
cannot cross.” The opposition leader then read aloud Article 6, saying that the Constitution was clear. “Constitutionally, every institution has its limits,” he reiterated. “The country will progress if every institution works within its limits.” Reading aloud Article 19, which is about free speech, he decried the ban on social media platform X and media censorship, saying, “This speech may not even be broadcast.” To this, NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq reassured the opposition leader that it was. The opposition leader demanded an independent judicial commission on the events of May 9, 2023, with the presentation of CCTV footage of the riots as a key condition. “The truth must prevail,” he said. “We are talking about the law and the Constitution.” Quoting the ISPR’s press conference, where the military spokesperson said that inquiry commissions should be formed for prior issues such as the PTI’s 2014 sit-in, Ayub demanded that the reports for the Ojhri Camp disaster, the Hamoodur Rehman Commission, the Army Public School inquiry and the Abbottabad commission should also be released to the public.
Ayub then brought up the letter sent to the Supreme Judicial Council by six Islamabad High Court Judges, which alleged that security agencies were meddling in judicial affairs. Using the letter as an example of ignoring limits, Ayub said, “They (the judges) highlighted interference by the security agencies in both theirs and their lower benches. Firecrackers were thrown into their houses, while intelligence personnel broke into judges’ homes and harassed people.”
Ayub said that the cases allegedly meddled with by the intelligence agencies all related to the PTI, including charges against party founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi, as well as senior party figures and party members and supporters. The opposition leader again demanded an independent judicial commission on May 9, maintaining that “May 9 was an excuse and Imran Khan was the target”. He denounced the government’s stance on May 9 as “victim-blaming”.