Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has said the newly elected government in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) will prioritise infrastructure development and job creation for young people.
Dar made the remarks during a meeting with a group of cross-party British parliamentarians of Pakistani origin at Pakistan House in London, according to the Foreign Office (FO).
The meeting was held as part of Dar’s five-day official visit to the United Kingdom, which began on Monday. The delegation included Lords Zameer Choudrey, Qurban Hussain and Shaffaq Mohammed, Baroness Shaista Sheehan, and MPs Mohammad Yasin, Yasmin Qureshi, Afzal Khan, Zubir Ahmed and Adnan Hussain.
The parliamentarians congratulated Dar on the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) victory in the recent AJK elections.
According to the FO, Dar said the people of AJK had placed their trust in the PML-N due to its record of promoting economic growth and development.
The remarks come amid political tensions in AJK, where the regional government and the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) have remained at odds over several issues, including demands for the abolition of 12 seats in the AJK Legislative Assembly. The dispute had triggered protests across the region.
In June, the AJK government declared the JAAC a proscribed organisation under the region’s Anti-Terrorism Act. Outgoing AJK Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore had recently said dialogue remained the only way to address the crisis with the committee.
During the London meeting, Dar also praised the British parliamentarians for their role in strengthening Pakistan-UK relations and their support for a just settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute.
The lawmakers, meanwhile, appreciated Pakistan’s mediation efforts during the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, saying the country’s historic role had received international recognition and was a source of pride for overseas Pakistanis.
Dar stressed that all parties adhering to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding was essential for achieving lasting peace and stability in the region.
He also highlighted Pakistan’s Makkah Joint Defence Agreement with Saudi Arabia and Turkiye, describing it as an important initiative for strengthening regional peace and stability. Dar emphasised that the agreement was “purely defensive in nature”, according to the FO.
