AJK govt upgrades Garhi Dupatta to tehsil status

Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore on Friday upgraded Garhi Dupatta to the status of a tehsil, fulfilling what he described as a longstanding demand of local residents. 

Addressing a public gathering in Garhi Dupatta at the invitation of his special assistant Mubashir Munir Awan, the prime minister said the Pakistan Peoples Party government had fulfilled within six months the promises it had made to the people. 

Garhi Dupatta is a sprawling town situated about 25 kilometres south of Muzaffarabad on both banks of the Jhelum River. 

“Today, I have not come merely to announce the upgradation of Garhi Dupatta to a tehsil, but to hand over the notification after its formal implementation. I congratulate you on this achievement,” Mr Rathore said. 

He said the PPP was the only public-oriented political party that spoke for the rights of ordinary people. 

Referring to Mr Awan, he said: “Mubashir Munir Awan is a future MLA. God willing, the PPP era is returning and the process of public welfare and development will continue in the same spirit.” 

Earlier, the prime minister received a rousing welcome upon his arrival in Garhi Dupatta bazaar, where flower petals were showered on him and the area echoed with slogans of “Jiye Bhutto”. 

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Awan thanked the prime minister and said the longstanding dream of the people of Garhi Dupatta had finally been realised. 

“This decision of the government will directly benefit the people,” he said, adding that former prime minister Mumtaz Hussain Rathore had also played a major role in the development of Garhi Dupatta during his tenure. 

Later, the prime minister visited Mr Awan’s residence to offer condolences and Fateha on the death of his uncle, Mohammad Yousuf Awan. Health Minister Syed Bazil Ali Naqvi, government adviser Ahmed Sagheer, prime minister’s spokesperson Shaukat Javed Mir and others also accompanied him.

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Educator shot in Muzaffarabad succumbs to wounds

An educator originally from Indian-occupied Kashmir succumbed to his critical wounds in the early hours of Friday, nearly 20 hours after he was shot in broad daylight in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) capital, hospital and family sources confirmed. 

Arjumand Gulzar Dar, also known as Hamzah Burhan, was the principal and managing director of a private school operating from a rented building along Muzaffarabad’s Western Bypass, where he was attacked around noon on Thursday. 

The suspected attacker was arrested within half an hour from a nearby ravine by a police team. According to the FIR registered at Saddar Police Station, the suspect was booked under Sections 324, 337 and 109 of the Azad Penal Code, Section 6 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, and Section 15(2) of the Arms Act. 

The FIR described the incident as a targeted killing, though no motive was disclosed. Senior officials were tight-lipped on their initial findings. 

Police sources said that owing to the sensitive nature of the case, senior authorities had handed over the investigation to the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD). 

Mr Dar had remained on a ventilator at a local hospital before succumbing to his injuries at around 3:30am on Friday. 

Meanwhile, his body was taken by his in-laws — who also belong to occupied Kashmir — to their residence in a Rawalpindi neighbourhood. Family sources said funeral prayers were offered there at 11am on Friday, following which he was laid to rest in a local graveyard. 

In Muzaffarabad, separate funeral prayers in absentia were held at several mosques affiliated with the Jamiat Ahle-Hadith AJK, as well as at Burhan Wani Chowk near the Press Club, shortly after Friday prayers. 

Funeral prayers in absentia at Burhan Wani Chowk

“Hamzah Burhan had escaped Indian repression and was spreading the light of education with missionary zeal. His murder has deeply shocked all of us. The authorities must bring the detained suspect and any possible facilitators to justice without delay,” said Uzair Ghazali, a senior refugee leader, at the Burhan Wani Chowk gathering. 

One participant, whose two children studied at Mr Dar’s school, described him as a remarkably gentle and compassionate educationist. 

“He was exceptionally caring towards children and knew every student by name. He remained fully aware of both their academic performance and domestic challenges,” he said. 

“He would personally ensure maximum fee concessions for financially struggling families. Any concern raised by parents was addressed by the very next meeting,” he added.

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AJK HC dismisses plea against graveyard land mutation

The High Court of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Thursday dismissed in limine a writ petition challenging the mutation of land reserved for a graveyard in Muzaffarabad’s Chehla Bandi area. 

In a detailed judgment, Acting Chief Justice Syed Shahid Bahar rejected the petition filed by Naseer Ahmed, observing that the matter had already been settled up to the apex court and could not be reopened through fresh litigation. 

The petitioner had sought to set aside Mutation No.1169 dated Jan 22, 2026, as well as an order issued by the commissioner of Muzaffarabad division on April 16, 2026. He had also requested the court to restrain authorities from dispossessing him from land bearing survey Nos 561 and 562 and allow him to deposit its market value under government notifications issued in 2024 and 2025. 

However, the court held that the dispute had already been adjudicated in an earlier writ petition filed by the same petitioner in 2016 against a July 10, 2014 notification reserving the land for a graveyard. 

That petition was dismissed by the high court in December 2020, while a subsequent civil petition for leave to appeal was also rejected by the AJK Supreme Court in March 2022. 

The judgment noted that despite those verdicts, the petitioner again approached the courts this year with “almost similar prayer based on similar facts and grounds”. 

“It is very astonishing that the instant writ petition has again been filed by the petitioner to get a similar relief from this court despite the clear-cut verdict of the Apex Court as well as this Court,” the acting chief justice observed. 

The court ruled that the principle of res judicata applied to the case, stressing that disputes once decided must attain finality. 

The judgment further observed that disputed questions of fact could not be resolved in constitutional jurisdiction without recording evidence, and noted that the inhabitants of Chehla Bandi — beneficiaries of the graveyard land — had not been made parties to the petition. 

Referring to earlier precedents, the court observed that graveyards, parks and other public-use properties could neither be allotted nor converted for private commercial or residential purposes. 

The acting chief justice termed the petitioner’s attempt to change the use of the graveyard land an unlawful act and directed civic authorities to proceed against those responsible for any illegal transfer of public property. 

The court also imposed a special cost of Rs25,000 on the petitioner, directing him to deposit the amount with the Kashmir Orphan Relief Trust within 10 days and submit the receipt to the registrar of the court, warning that “serious action” would follow in case of non-compliance.

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AJK Election Commission registers three parties, extends enlistment deadline

The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Election Commission on Thursday officially registered three new political parties while extending the deadline for political outfits to meet statutory registration requirements by 10 days.

According to a press release issued by the commission, the Qaumi Ittehad Party (AJK), Pakistan Peoples Party (Shaheed Bhutto) AJK, and Jammu Kashmir Awami Dast-o-Bazoo were registered “after a thorough scrutiny of their baseline documentation.” 

The decision was taken in accordance with the relevant statutory provisions of the AJK Elections Act and Rules 2020, alongside the framework established by the AJK High Court’s October 5, 2023 judgment in the Waheed Ashraf vs. Election Commission case, the press release added.

While the commission's initial action plan had set May 30, 2026, as the final cut-off date for political parties to seek registration, the deadline had now been extended to June 10. The 10-day extension was aimed at providing a fair window for remaining political entities to fulfil standard legal requirements and submit their credentials for evaluation, the press release said. 

The election oversight body also strongly rebutted speculative reports circulating on various social media platforms claiming that the commission had summarily cancelled the registration of 33 political parties. 

Discarding the reports as completely baseless, fabricated, and contrary to actual facts, the press release clarified that the commission has not actively revoked any party's status. It explained that previous registrations had lapsed automatically as a direct consequence of the AJK High Court's earlier verdict, rather than through executive action by the commission, and added that the current enlistment drive was purely geared toward aligning the political landscape with the High Court's directives and the Elections Act 2020.

Reaffirming its mandate, the commission reiterated its commitment to fulfilling all constitutional and statutory obligations within the stipulated timelines to ensure the upcoming electoral process is free, fair, and transparent, while strengthening the region's overall democratic infrastructure.

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Suspected RAW-linked attacker held after daylight shooting in Muzaffarabad

 

Arjumand Dar alias Hamza Burhan

A young Kashmiri educationalist who had fled the Indian-occupied Kashmir valley some eight years ago in the wake of unparalleled repression and taken refuge in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) was critically wounded in a targeted daylight shooting in Muzaffarabad on Thursday, in what police sources described as an attack orchestrated through local agents handled by Indian intelligence operatives. 

The attacker was arrested within half an hour after fleeing through a residential locality along a ravine, while the weapon used in the attack was also recovered, police and witnesses said. 

The victim, 30 years old Arjumand Gulzar Dar alias Hamza Burhan, was the principal and managing director of Allama Iqbal Memorial School, an educational institution operating in a rented building along Muzaffarabad’s Western Bypass. 

Originally hailing from Indian-occupied Kashmir’s Pulwama district, he had arrived in Pakistan in January 2018 for higher studies. He had reportedly married into the family of a post-1989 migrant from his home district around three years ago and was father to a toddler son, family sources said. 

Hospital sources said Mr Dar sustained three bullet wounds and remained on a ventilator in critical condition. 

Police sources said Mr Dar, whose social media activity openly reflected support for the Kashmiri freedom movement, had been facing security threats and was recently provided with two guards. 

According to investigators, he had informed his guards earlier in the day that some guests would be visiting him around noon. When the visitors arrived in a double-cabin pickup outside the school, he went to meet them without asking his guards to accompany him. 

crime scene

As he was heading back to the school after concluding the meeting inside the vehicle, he was shot from behind by a gunman who had apparently been monitoring his movements. Investigators said the assailant fired three bullets, causing the victim to collapse on the roadside in a pool of blood. 

As bystanders rushed the injured man to the Combined Military Hospital in a Suzuki van, the attacker fled towards the western side of the busy road. However, a police team led by Saddar SHO Abdul Wajid Alvi quickly launched a chase and apprehended the suspect near a ravine. 

        Video clips circulating on social media showed police forcing the suspect—a bearded man in his early 20s wearing eyeglasses—into a vehicle shortly after his

arrest.

Within minutes of the attack, several Indian media outlets reported that “Hamza Burhan” — whom India had named among the alleged conspirators in the Pulwama attack that killed more than 40 CRPF personnel in February 2019 — had been “shot dead” by unidentified assailants in Muzaffarabad. 

India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) had included Burhan in its chargesheet related to the Pulwama attack conspiracy. 

Uzair Ghazali, a senior leader of post-1989 migrants, rejected the Indian allegations, asking how a student could mastermind an attack in occupied Kashmir more than a year after leaving the territory.

“This is yet another clumsy allegation the Indian government is notorious for coining to bracket Kashmiris’ rightful freedom movement with terrorism and satisfy its fanatic vote bank,” he said.

He said over the past three decades, thousands of Kashmiris had fled arrests, torture, and persecution by Indian forces and sought refuge in AJK.

"Hamza Burhan was one among them, who built a peaceful life in Muzaffarabad as a migrant and educationist," Mr Ghazali said.

Senior police officials, including DIG Shehryar Sikander and SSP Riaz Mughal, supervised the preliminary investigation at Saddar police station, where the suspect was identified as Abdullah Kamal, son of Yasir Kamal, a resident of Nawababad in Taxila, Rawalpindi district. 

killer

While officials refrained from speaking on record about certain aspects of the investigation, sources privy to the inquiry said the suspect had confessed to being in contact through Instagram with a woman allegedly linked to India’s intelligence agency RAW, who assigned him the task of killing Mr Dar. 

According to the sources, the suspect was directed to collect a pistol and ammunition from a deserted location on the outskirts of Islamabad and spent several days practising his aim before travelling to Muzaffarabad. 

Investigators said the handler, allegedly operating through a virtual UK SIM, later shared the exact location of the school. The suspect subsequently checked into a guesthouse around 800 metres from the school on Sunday and spent the next three days surveilling the area. 

One of the school guards told police he had spotted the suspect loitering outside the institution at least twice before the attack. 

Police sealed the guesthouse and arrested its owner and manager for allegedly violating official guest-registration regulations. 

“We have established an application, Hotel Eye, through which hotel and guesthouse operators are required to share details of their guests with police so that suspicious individuals or persons involved in unlawful activities can be detected in time. But this guesthouse failed to provide any information about this suspicious person, which amounts to a serious violation of our guidelines,” SSP Mughal told this scribe. 

Police described Thursday’s attack as the second known targeted killing operation in AJK, carried out through local agents handled by RAW operatives. 

On Sept 8, 2023, Muhammad Riaz alias Abu Qasim Kashmiri — an anti-India activist formerly associated with the proscribed Jamaat-ud-Dawa — was gunned down inside a mosque in Rawalakot soon after Fajr prayers. 

The assailant, who was said to be a student belonging to southern Punjab, was later arrested by the AJK police.

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AJK premier praises Baku’s support to Pakistan’s stance on Kashmir

          Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore has praised Azerbaijan for its consistent support to Pakistan’s stance on the Kashmir dispute, describing the issue as the unfinished agenda of the partition of the subcontinent. 

In an interview with an Azerbaijani broadcaster on Wednesday, he also showered praise on the people and government of Pakistan for always staying by the Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control. 

According to an official handout, the prime minister highlighted persistent Indian repression of Kashmiris’ political and human rights and said the international community could no longer ignore the situation in the region. 

Referring to the policies of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, he said that New Delhi had intensified measures aimed at dismantling the distinct identity of Kashmiris. 

Mr Rathore also lauded Pakistan’s armed forces for safeguarding AJK from external aggression and warned that failure to resolve the longstanding Kashmir dispute could threaten regional peace and stability. 

He called upon the international community to hold India accountable for alleged human rights violations committed by its forces in occupied Kashmir. 

Referring to Islamabad-Baku relations, the AJK premier said Azerbaijan, alongside China and Turkey, remained one of Pakistan’s closest allies and a strong supporter of the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination. 

Paying tribute to Benazir Bhutto, he described her as a global symbol of democracy who sacrificed her life for democratic ideals. 

He said Ms Bhutto deeply valued Azerbaijan’s democratic progress following its independence from the Soviet Union and had enjoyed cordial relations with Heydar Aliyev based on democratic values and economic cooperation. 

The AJK premier also commended Azerbaijan’s development and resilience despite the challenges it faced during the post-independence period.

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Political rhetoric heats up in AJK as PML-N accuses PPP of seeking delay in polls

With elections in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) drawing closer and political rhetoric beginning to intensify, leader of the opposition and regional president of the Pakistan Muslim League-N AJK chapter Shah Ghulam Qadir on Wednesday accused the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party of attempting to evade the electoral process by backing calls for the postponement of polls through the Joint Awami Action Committee. 

Addressing a public gathering in Dhamni on the outskirts of Rawalakot, organised in connection with the joining of former divisional director of the education department Dr Rashida Khanam and her supporters into the PML-N, Mr Qadir said authority to make decisions could not be handed over to “mob groups” and vowed that his party would never become part of any conspiracy aimed at weakening the state. 

In an apparent reference to demands linked to refugee seats and election scheduling, he alleged that the PPP was trying to escape elections by “using the Action Committee as a shoulder for its agenda”, which, according to him, reflected the ruling party’s “defeated mindset”. 

“This is perhaps the first ruling party that is running away from elections, but the Muslim League will not allow it to escape,” he said. 

“Whoever is fond of politics should test their popularity through elections and learn the realities of governance.” 

In a strongly worded speech reflecting the sharpening political divide ahead of the expected announcement of the election schedule, Mr Qadir also accused the PPP of conspiring against the existing system. 

Referring to the party’s political history, he alleged that Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had raised the slogan of “Idhar Hum, Udhar Tum”, which, according to him, had contributed to the division of Pakistan, and claimed that the PPP was once again pursuing a “formula for the division of Kashmir”. 

“This mischief is a conspiracy against the system, but we have full confidence in our intentions and leadership, and the PML-N will foil all such conspiracies,” he said. 

Rejecting what he described as baseless propaganda about weakening pro-Pakistan sentiment in Poonch, Mr Qadir said the region was “the land of martyrs and veterans” whose people had rendered sacrifices for the ideology of Pakistan. 

“The people of Poonch were Pakistani before and they remain Pakistani today,” he said, adding that those harbouring doubts should “remove such misconceptions from their minds”. 

The PML-N leader further alleged that the public was being misled into believing that those not voting for the PPP would be deprived of payments under the Benazir Income Support Programme. 

“The money belongs to the World Bank and is distributed by the Government of Pakistan,” he said, warning that his party knew how to protect its workers if complaints of political victimisation emerged. 

Claiming that the PML-N did not require any electoral alliance, he said the party had enough electable candidates in every constituency and would contest the elections on the basis of its manifesto and past performance. 

“We will form the government with a two-thirds majority,” he asserted. 

Former minister Sardar Tahir Anwar Khan, former MLA Sehrish Qamar, former AJK Council members Sardar Abdul Khaliq Wasi and Sardar Naseem Ahmed Sarfraz, along with Javed Sharif Advocate, Khawaja Imran Ashraf and Sardar Arshad Niazi, also addressed the gathering. 

They, too, alleged that attempts were being made “in collusion with certain elements” to postpone the elections in order to manipulate the process and urged the AJK Election Commission to announce the election schedule before May 25.

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