Centre, AJK govt to work with other parties to build consensus on governance, constitutional issues: Dar

Centre, AJK govt to work with other parties to build consensus on governance, constitutional problems: Dar.

Key points

• News Desk Published August 26, 2026 Updated August 26, 2026 08: 20pm.
• He additionally mentioned Pakistan's Makkah Joint Defence Agreement with Saudi Arabia and Turkiye as an notable pact "in strengthening regional peace and stability".
• The British lawmakers further lauded Pakistan's mediation efforts in the US-Israeli war on Iran.
• On June 5, the JAAC was declared a proscribed organisation by the regional administration and placed under the First Schedule of the region's anti-terrorism act (ATA).
• DPM Dar, in response, underscored that all parties adhering to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding was critical for "durable peace and stability in the region".

News Desk Published August 26, 2026 Updated August 26, 2026 08: 20pm. Join our Whatsapp Channel. Add Dawn as a trusted source.

Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar remarked the Centre and the incoming Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) administration would work with other political parties and stakeholders to form consensus on "important governance and constitutional issues", it emerged on Wednesday.

Dar's statement came as he discussed recent developments in AJK with a group of cross-party Pakistan-origin British parliamentarians at Pakistan House in London, Foreign Office (FO) remarked in an official note on Wednesday.

Dar held the session as part of his five-day official visit to the United Kingdom. It began on Monday.

As well as Members of Parliament Mohammad Yasin, Yasmin Qureshi, Afzal Khan, Zubir Ahmed and Adnan Hussain, the parliamentarians included Lord Zameer Choudrey, Lord Qurban Hussain, Baroness Shaista Sheehan, and Lord Shaffaq Mohammed.

Meanwhile, the British parliamentarians congratulated DPM Dar on PML-N's victory in the recent AJK elections, the FO observed.

Dar remarked the residents of AJK had "reposed their confidence in the PML-N because of its past record of delivering economic growth and development".

"He said the new government would prioritise investment in infrastructure and job creation for the youth of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, " FO remarked in its statement.

Lawmaker Imran Hussain remarked on X that he "made strong representations to British government ministers that the concerns of more than one million British Kashmiris about the ongoing situation in Kashmir must be raised first and foremost".

"Reports of bloodshed, arbitrary arrests, restrictions on communications and disruption to essential supplies must be raised directly and seriously with Pakistan, and directly with their deputy prime minister, " he continued.

Ahead of the general elections in AJK, unrest grew in the region as the regional administration and the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) were at odds over various problems, most notably the committee's demand to abolish the 12 seats in the region's Legislative Assembly. It resulted in protests throughout the region.

On Saturday, outgoing AJK Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore remarked the biggest challenge for the incoming administration was dealing with the JAAC, stressing that dialogue was the only way to resolve the crisis.

In his session, Dar additionally "appreciated the important role played by the British parliamentarians in strengthening Pakistan-UK ties and their staunch advocacy for a just settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute".

"The parliamentarians shared their views on other matters of common interest and reaffirmed their commitment to further cementing ties between Pakistan and the UK, " FO remarked.

Notably, the British lawmakers further lauded Pakistan's mediation efforts in the US-Israeli war on Iran.

"They said that Pakistan's historic role had been internationally recognised and had filled all overseas Pakistanis with pride."

Dar stressed that the agreement was "purely defensive in nature", FO remarked.

In short, centre, AJK govt to work with other parties to build consensus on is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.