MUZAFFARABAD: Former Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider on Wednesday called for dialogue with protesters in Poonch, urging newly elected President Dr Najeeb Naqi and Prime Minister Iftikhar Gillani to engage with them and understand their demands.

In response to questions about the prevailing situation in the region, Mr Haider said Poonch was the historic centre of the freedom movement and expressed concern over the developments there.

He acknowledged his differences with the protesters, which he said he had already expressed publicly, but maintained that the issue should be resolved through dialogue. “I must warn the protesters that the system we have may collapse,” Mr Haider said.

He also urged national security institutions and officials to play their role in res­olving the situation, saying the AJK Leg­islative Assembly remained incomplete without representation from Poonch.

He said it would depend on how effectively Mr Gillani implemented his 100-day agenda. The situation required the prime minister to ensure effective administrative control, Mr Haider added, saying he had discussed the matter with Mr Gillani and was confident that impro­vements would follow.

Talking about Dr Naqi, Mr Haider described him as a politician belonging to a prominent political family of Poonch. “I am hopeful that under him the presidency will play a vital role in resolving matters,” he said.

Asked why senior political leadership had not intervened to resolve the crisis, Mr Haider said senior politicians currently lacked a mandate for dialogue as political parties had been marginalised.

He said the 12 seats reserved for Jammu and Kashmir refugees were aligned with UNSC resolutions and that the government of Pakistan was bound to protect them.

Asked whether AJK could be converted into a province, he said Pakistan would then have to withdraw the Kashmir case from the United Nations.

Published in Dawn, October 1st, 2026