Tarar Urges Dialogue as AJK Refugee Seats Row Deepens

Federal Information Minister Ataullah Tarar has urged political and protest leaders to resolve the growing dispute over Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly refugee seats through democratic and constitutional channels. His remarks came in Islamabad as tensions around the 12 reserved refugee constituencies continued to shape the political atmosphere ahead of the AJK election process.

The controversy centres on seats reserved for refugees from Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir who settled in different parts of Pakistan after 1947. Elections for these constituencies are held separately from AJK’s general seats, and the arrangement has long remained sensitive because of questions over voter lists, representation, delimitation and constitutional amendments.

The Joint Awami Action Committee has opposed the continued existence of the 12 refugee seats and linked the demand to wider protests in the region. The dispute has become more urgent because the election schedule was issued shortly before the latest protest call, prompting fresh demands from political stakeholders for reconsideration and dialogue.

Speaking outside Parliament House, Tarar said elections remain the proper democratic route to secure public mandate. He said AJK was a priority for Pakistan and argued that public welfare, development and regional stability should be placed above political confrontation. He added that peaceful protest is a citizen’s right but taking the law into one’s own hands cannot be permitted.

The Pakistan Peoples Party’s AJK chapter has also called on the regional election commission to withdraw the schedule for the 12 refugee seats. PPP-AJK President Chaudhry Muhammad Yasin said holding elections under the current circumstances appeared difficult and warned that no electoral seat should be treated as more important than human life, especially when public tension remains high.

Yasin said the solution required negotiations, political harmony and continuity of the democratic process. He also noted that most demands raised by JAAC in an earlier agreement had already been implemented, while the constitutional issue linked to refugee seats remained open to legal and political discussion.

Other AJK PPP leaders echoed the call for reconciliation, arguing that the election schedule should be withdrawn to create space for talks. Senior figures said the region could not afford more unrest, shortages or uncertainty, and warned that hostile forces could exploit internal divisions if the dispute is not handled through consensus.

The background to the dispute reflects a deeper governance challenge in AJK, where public protests over rights, representation, electricity, prices and constitutional questions have repeatedly brought citizens and authorities into confrontation. The refugee seats issue is especially sensitive because it connects electoral representation with Kashmir’s historic displacement and Pakistan’s political commitments to the Kashmir cause.

The impact on Pakistan is significant because instability in AJK carries political, diplomatic and security consequences. A prolonged confrontation could weaken public confidence, disrupt the election environment and place additional pressure on the federal government at a time when Islamabad is already managing multiple political and economic challenges.

The next step will depend on whether the AJK Election Commission, federal authorities, PPP leadership and JAAC-linked stakeholders can move toward a negotiated settlement. If the schedule remains unchanged without consensus, the dispute may intensify; if talks restart, the refugee seats controversy could become a test case for resolving sensitive constitutional questions through dialogue rather than street pressure.