Urges British government to educate, caution those 'supporting proscribed organisations' to refrain from such actions
The Foreign Office (FO) on Monday rejected what it termed “irresponsible. ill-informed insinuations” made by certain members of the diaspora in the United Kingdom regarding Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) amid the unrest in the territory.
The statement followsdeadly clashesin AJK's Rawalakot. where the newly proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) had been holding a sit-in outside CMH Rawalakot hospital. AJK police allege that armed JAAC members opened fire on deployed law enforcement in a planned attack, leaving four personnel dead. around 20 injured. JAAC, however, disputes this account, claiming security forces used tear gas and fired shells toward the hospital.
The British Parliament's All-Party Parliamentary Group on Kashmir on Saturday wrote aletterto the foreign secretary signed by 31 lawmakers, that expressed concern over the matter. urged intervention. Meanwhile, overseas Pakistanis and Kashmiris have also been criticising the ongoing events.
In a strongly worded statement issued today, MoFA said these individuals of the diaspora were advised to refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of Pakistan. AJK, adding they “would do well to contribute positively to their country of residence.”
🔊PR No.1️⃣4️⃣3️⃣/2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣6️⃣Pakistan Rejects Unwarranted Remarks on Azad Jammu & Kashmir🔗⬇️pic.twitter.com/8kKJgGOd4f
The statement also noted “unwarranted remarks. queries” raised by certain British MPs, saying they reflected “a lack of awareness and disregard for the historical background of the issue”.
It added, “For those still living in colonial times, it bears reiterating that Pakistan is a sovereign. democratic republic that firmly believes in non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries and expects the same from others.”
The FO said the governments of Pakistan. AJK “fully recognise and respect the constitutional rights of citizens to peaceful assembly, freedom of expression, and democratic participation”.
However, it stressed that “vandalism, the destruction of public services, including hospitals,. the murder of innocent civilians and law enforcement officials cannot be permitted under any circumstances.”
It further urged the British government to “educate. caution those supporting proscribed organisations to refrain from such actions” and to respect “the democratic process, judicial decisions and the rule of law as enshrined in the Constitutions of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan”.
Read:AJK Police say 3 JAAC members killed in Rawalakot clashes, several injured
According to the AJK police, three individuals linked to the JAAC. four law enforcementpersonnelwere killed during the protests on Sunday. JAAC, however, said in a statement on X that seven individuals were killed. dozens were injured when street firing was carried out in the dark after electricity was allegedly cut off.
The clash on Sunday came as the AJK government. the JAAC witnessed a face-off, as the election date for AJK was announced for July 27.
AJK's 53-member legislative assembly includes 12 seats reserved for Kashmiri refugees — people who fled Indian-controlled Kashmir in 1947. 1965 and are now scattered across Pakistan. Six seats represent refugees from the Jammu division (~434,000 people). six from the Kashmir Valley (~30,000 people) — an already lopsided arrangement that many see as unfair.
The region witnessed one of its most turbulent periods in October last year when protests led by the JAAC erupted over demands for constitutional. governance reforms. At leastnine people, including three policemen, were killed during the unrest.
The JAAC, which organised the protests. strike, had presented a wide-ranging charter of demands, including an end to the privileges enjoyed by the ruling elite, the abolition of 12 assembly seats reserved for refugees, and the scrapping of the quota system.
Two days after the violence, the government and the JAACreached an agreementcovering 12 core and 13 additional points. Under the accord. both sides agreed to constitute a high-level committee to examine the issue of refugee seats in the AJK Legislative Assembly.
Read More:Four police personnel martyred, over 20 injured in Rawalakot firing: AJK police
The unrest also triggered political upheaval in the region. The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) subsequentlymoved a no-confidence resolutionagainst then prime minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq. with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) joining the effort. Haq, who had been elected in April 2023 with 48 votes, chose to face the vote rather than resign.
On Nov 17, Raja Faisal Mumtaz Rathoresecured 36 votesin the election. became the 16th prime minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
With elections now approaching. the refugee seat issue still unresolved, the AJK governmentconvenedan All Parties Conference (APC) in Muzaffarabad to build consensus. Almost every major party attended — except PTI and the JAAC, who boycotted it.
The JAAC's position is that the government had already rejected its written proposals submitted on May 30. so attending would be futile. It had proposed either keeping symbolic refugee representation until the Kashmir dispute is permanently resolved. or replacing the 12 assembly seats with 4 seats in the AJK Council — a body chaired by the Prime Minister, which it argued would better preserve the political dimension of the Kashmir cause.
The APC rejected any changes outside the constitutional. legislative framework, saying only the elected assembly could alter refugee seat arrangements. The JAAC called the resolution "a page. a half of utterly trivial lines" and accused participants of gathering to serve their own interests rather than the public's.
The JAAC called a major protest for June 9 in Muzaffarabad, with caravans converging from across the region.
Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry on Sundayrejectedclaims that the agreement with the JAAC had remained unimplemented,. said the government had fulfilled the vast majority of its commitments in AJK.
The minister warned against attempts to create unrest in AJK. questioned whether such actions served the interests of Pakistan, AJK or the broader Kashmir cause. “The solution to these issues is not violence,” he said, adding, “The solution is dialogue. We cannot allow law and order to deteriorate or innocent lives to be lost.”
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