Removing Refugee Seats Would Undermine Kashmir Cause, Says Rana Sanaullah

Islamabad: Senator Rana Sanaullah has said that eliminating refugee seats in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) would weaken the core representation of Kashmiris and undermine the broader Kashmir movement.

Speaking during a Senate session, Rana Sanaullah said the government had held negotiations with the Joint Awami Action Committee in Azad Kashmir and accepted several of its demands. He added that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had directed that all demands related to social welfare should be accommodated.

According to the senator, one of the committee’s demands was the abolition of 12 refugee seats in the Azad Kashmir Legislative Assembly. The proposal also called for elected representatives from those seats to be denied ministerial positions, development funds, and employment quotas.

Rana Sanaullah argued that if refugee representation in Azad Kashmir were removed, the historical and political basis of the Kashmiri struggle would be weakened. He noted that prominent Kashmiri figure Maqbool Bhat was himself a refugee.

He further stated that the issue of reducing or abolishing refugee seats remained a point of deadlock in discussions with the committee.

The senator said the committee was aware that elections in Azad Kashmir were scheduled to take place before August 4 and alleged that one of its objectives was to create conditions that could disrupt the electoral process.

Rana Sanaullah added that on May 30, the federal government had provided the Azad Kashmir administration with a detailed account regarding all 37 demands raised by the committee, including those that had already been addressed and implemented.