Muqam says AJK constitutional stages completed, urges dialogue

Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Amir Muqam said on Friday that all constitutional stages in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, including election of the president, had been completed smoothly, and he urged political groups to resolve their differences through dialogue rather than protests and sit-ins.

Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad, Muqam, who is also president of PML-N Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, welcomed the election of Dr Muhammad Najeeb Naqi Khan as President of Azad Kashmir, according to the Associated Press of Pakistan. The APP report, filed from the federal capital, said the minister made the remarks while addressing the media.

Muqam described the completion of the constitutional process as a positive development and asked all political parties and groups in AJK to stay away from street agitation. He said political disagreements should be settled through negotiation and consultation, and that dialogue was the way forward, APP reported.

The minister's statement did not name the groups behind any protests or sit-ins, nor did it specify where such demonstrations had taken place or what demands were involved. The dispatch also carried no further details about the presidential election beyond the minister's remarks.

Muqam made the comments in his capacity as the federal minister responsible for coordinating with both Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. He has held the portfolio while also leading PML-N in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. For readers in Gilgit-Baltistan, the statement came from the same federal ministry that oversees their region's affairs.

The APP report was the only version of the minister's press conference available to the Skardu Times, and no official transcript was immediately published.