What happened
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said on Tuesday, 23 June 2026, that he had agreed to mediate between the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) and the Azad Jammu and Kashmir government after receiving a formal request from the committee’s leaders.
In a statement, Fazlur Rehman said the JAAC had written to him asking him to act as mediator, and that he accepted in the wider interest of Pakistan and Kashmir. He urged the committee to call off its sit-in and to avoid announcing any further course of action so that space could be created for meaningful dialogue.
He said mediation would take time because he would first need to approach the government and persuade it to begin negotiations with the committee, and he appealed to both sides to show flexibility and avoid steps that could escalate tensions. Reports said the request came from JAAC leaders including Sardar Umar Aziz, Khawaja Mehran and Shaukat Nawaz Mir.
The development came as JAAC protesters continued a sit-in on the outskirts of Rawalakot, which they had been staging for more than 10 days. The AJK government, which proscribed the JAAC under the region’s anti-terrorism law on 5 June, said it would proceed in accordance with the law if the committee’s leaders surrendered. Poonch Divisional Commissioner Sardar Waheed Khan said the government had not authorised any individual or political party to negotiate on its behalf, and described the committee’s demands as neither practicable nor acceptable, Dawn reported.
Why it matters
The standoff centres on the JAAC’s demand for the abolition of the 12 seats in the AJK Legislative Assembly reserved for refugees from Kashmir who settled in mainland Pakistan after 1947, a long-contested issue involving voter lists, delimitation and constitutional amendments. It comes ahead of AJK elections set for 27 July.
AJK Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore said the JAAC’s approach to Fazlur Rehman vindicated his government’s insistence on dialogue to resolve the standoff. Fazlur Rehman’s acceptance could open the door to negotiations if both sides respond positively and show a willingness to compromise.
What is still uncertain
It was not clear whether the JAAC would end its sit-in or whether the AJK government would formally accept Fazlur Rehman as a mediator. The divisional commissioner’s remarks indicated the government had not yet authorised negotiations, and several JAAC leaders remain wanted, with cash rewards on their arrest, Pakistan Today reported.
