AJK voter count swells by over 580,000 since 2021 elections

                 The number of registered voters in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) has increased by more than half a million over the past five years, according to fresh electoral rolls released by the region's Election Commission ahead of the upcoming legislative assembly elections.

The latest voter lists show that the electorate in AJK's 45 constituencies has risen to 3,804,385, up from 3,220,546 in the 2021 elections — an increase of 583,839 voters.

Of the total electorate, 3,365,839 voters are registered in the 33 constituencies within AJK, while 438,546 are registered in the 12 constituencies in Pakistan reserved for refugees from occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

In the 2021 elections, 2,817,090 voters were registered in the 33 territorial constituencies, while 403,456 were registered in the 12 refugee constituencies. The latter included 373,652 voters in six constituencies representing migrants from Jammu and 29,804 voters in six constituencies representing migrants from the Kashmir Valley.

According to the fresh electoral rolls, the 33 territorial constituencies with 3,365,839 votes have recorded a rise of 548,749 voters.

In the 12 refugee constituencies in Pakistan, the electorate in the six Jammu refugee seats increased by 31,296 voters to 404,948, while the six Valley refugee seats recorded an increase of 3,794 voters, taking their total electorate to 33,598.

Figures released by the commission showed that the overall electorate comprises 2,001,730 male voters and 1,802,655 female voters.

Among the territorial constituencies, LA-7 Bhimber-III has the largest electorate with 129,994 voters, followed by LA-31 Muzaffarabad-V with 128,177 voters and LA-12 Kotli-V with 126,332 voters. The smallest constituency is LA-30 Muzaffarabad-IV, with 68,228 voters.

Of the 33 territorial constituencies, six have electorates ranging between 120,000 and 130,000, five between 110,000 and 120,000, eight between 100,000 and 110,000, six between 90,000 and 100,000, three between 80,000 and 90,000, four between 70,000 and 80,000, and one has fewer than 70,000 voters.

Among the Jammu refugee constituencies, LA-37 Jammu-IV has the highest number of voters at 111,203, while LA-39 Jammu-VI has the lowest at 37,639.

Among the Valley refugee constituencies, LA-45 Valley-VI has the largest electorate with 7,681 voters, while LA-43 Valley-IV has the smallest with 3,346 voters.

For comparison, the total electorate in the 2016 elections stood at 2.6 million, including 438,884 voters in the 12 refugee constituencies in Pakistan.

The number of voters in the refugee constituencies had declined from 438,884 in 2016 to 403,456 in 2021. Despite the latest increase, the current figure of 438,546 remains 338 short of the 2016 electorate.

Tariq Naqash

MPC backs timely AJK polls, seeks consultative approach to constitutional reforms

A multi-party conference (MPC) convened by the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government on Wednesday reaffirmed support for holding the upcoming Legislative Assembly elections on schedule and declared that any constitutional reforms should be undertaken through the elected assembly following broad-based consultations with all stakeholders.

In a unanimously adopted resolution, the participants stressed that the general elections to the AJK Legislative Assembly should be held within the constitutionally prescribed timeframe and called for all necessary administrative, legal and security measures to ensure free, fair, transparent, impartial and peaceful polling.

The conference was held at the Prime Minister’s House and attended by Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore; ruling PPP president Chaudhry Muhammad Yasin; PPP leader and former premier Sardar Tanveer Ilyas; Leader of the Opposition and PML-N president Shah Ghulam Qadir; and his party secretary general Chaudhry Tariq Farooq, PML-N leader and former premier Raja Farooq Haider; Muslim Conference president and former premier Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan; former presidents Sardar Masood Khan and Sardar Yaqoob Khan; Jammu Kashmir Peoples Party president Sardar Hassan Ibrahim Khan; Jammu Kashmir Liberation League president Khawaja Manzoor Qadir; Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam emir Maulana Saeed Yousaf; Jamaat-i-Islami leader Noorul Bari; senior minister for law, justice and parliamentary affairs Mian Abdul Waheed; three other cabinet members; and representatives of several smaller political and religious parties. Refugee lawmakers Abdul Majid Khan and Ahmed Raza Qadri also attended.

The conference began later than scheduled after Prime Minister Rathore drove to the residence of Amjad Ali Khan, a core member of the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), to personally invite him to attend the meeting as a stakeholder. Some other JAAC leaders were also present there, but they declined the invitation.

The PTI, according to its spokesperson, was not invited, although its regional president and former prime minister, Sardar Abdul Qayyum Niazi, was invited in his capacity as a former premier.

Mr Niazi did not attend, accusing the ruling PPP and opposition PML-N of adopting an ambiguous position on the issue of refugee seats. He called for “meaningful talks for implementation of the agreement with JAAC” and warned against the use of force against the people.

Several participants addressed the conference, after which the resolution was drafted by Mr Qadir and senior minister Mian Abdul Waheed in consultation with other participants. The document was later read out by Prime Minister Rathore and unanimously adopted.

The resolution emphasised that voters should be able to exercise their right to vote without fear, pressure or interference and warned that any attempt to sabotage, delay, influence or derail the electoral process should be dealt with strictly in accordance with the law.

The conference also maintained that constitutional reforms fell within the exclusive mandate of the people's elected representatives and should therefore be left to the Legislative Assembly. However, it said any such exercise should be preceded by a broad consultative process involving political parties, bar associations, the Bar Council, civil society organisations and constitutional experts.

Addressing the contentious issue that has recently sparked political debate, the participants recognised the representation of Jammu and Kashmir refugees residing in Pakistan as a historical and constitutional reality. At the same time, they noted that electoral and procedural issues relating to the existing arrangement could be addressed through constitutional reforms carried out by the Legislative Assembly.

The resolution described the continuation of democratic and constitutional processes in AJK as the foundation of regional stability and reiterated a commitment to strengthening democratic institutions. While terming political dissent an essential feature of democracy, it stressed that differences of opinion should not be allowed to undermine governance or institutional functioning.

The conference also expressed concern over Indian attempts to exploit social media and organised propaganda campaigns to create mistrust between state institutions and democratic structures in AJK.

Reaffirming support for Kashmiris' right to self-determination under United Nations resolutions, the participants condemned human rights violations in Indian-occupied Kashmir, including the detention of pro-freedom leaders and political activists, and criticised efforts to alter the territory's demographic composition.

The conference also paid tribute to the sacrifices of Jammu and Kashmir refugees for the Kashmir cause and their support for accession to Pakistan.

PM’s press talk

Talking to reporters after the conference, Prime Minister Rathore confirmed his visit to the residence of a JAAC leader and said the government had addressed issues in accordance with its agreement with the committee.

“We sought additional time from them, but they were not willing to extend it even by a week. It seems that even if the refugee seats are abolished, the committee would still want to shut down the state,” he said.

Responding to a question, he clarified that no decision had been taken to stop JAAC by force.

“We [still] want to resolve issues through dialogue,” he said.

Tariq Naqash

 

Govt will not use force if JAAC takes to streets: Faisal Rathore

    Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore has said his government is making every effort to prevent the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) from taking to the streets again, stressing that the dispute over the 12 legislative assembly seats reserved for refugees from Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir should be resolved through negotiations and political consensus.

    Answering questions during a private television interview, Mr Rathore asserted that

 his government had made sincere efforts to implement the agreement reached with the action committee following last year's protest movement and had resolved almost all issues contained in its charter of demands.

    “Almost all demands included in the charter of demands were fulfilled, except for one relating to the abolition of refugee seats, which subsequently became the central issue around which the movement was revived,” he said.

    Referring to recent negotiations with JAAC, Mr Rathore said: “We have had very productive discussions with members of the Action Committee. However, the issue of abolishing refugee seats is a constitutional matter that cannot be decided by a single political party alone. It requires a broad consensus among all stakeholders.”

    “We wanted the JAAC to extend its call for protest, but they declined, although they agreed to keep the door for negotiations open until June 7,” he added.

    The prime minister said the issue had also been discussed with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and reiterated that the government did not want the state to face another period of unrest.

    “These people are our own. They certainly have the right to raise their concerns and it is our responsibility to listen to them and understand their point of view, and we are doing that,” he said.

    Mr Rathore maintained that decisions affecting the future of the state should be taken through representative institutions rather than through street agitation, adding that many JAAC members also favoured a negotiated settlement.

    Referring to the refugee seats controversy, he said it was often argued that these were open to manipulation because the elections were conducted under the influence of provincial governments. 

    He, however, said refugees had made significant sacrifices and played an important role in the state’s affairs and they could not be ignored under any circumstances.

    “Regardless of political interests or affiliations, the interests of the state must come first.”

    Mr Rathore said discussions had also included the possibility of reducing the number of refugee seats in view of the significant increase in the number of registered voters within AJK, while the number of voters in the refugee constituencies of Jammu and the Valley was comparatively lower.

    “We have not closed any door in this regard. We want to reach a mutually acceptable solution through negotiations and understanding,” he said.

    Responding to a question about the possibility of protests, the prime minister said the government would continue making every effort to ensure that the action committee did not take to the streets.

    “However, God forbid, if such a situation arises, we will strive to ensure that it remains peaceful and will not try to stop them through force or coercion. Rather, we will treat them respectfully, offer them cold water and take care of them,” he said.

    He warned that any confrontation would be detrimental to the state and could be exploited by India for propaganda purposes.

    “The state cannot afford any situation that compels it to use force against its own people. India, meanwhile, takes advantage of such developments and seeks to draw misleading parallels with public rights movements in Pakistan, thereby taking the discourse in a different direction,” he said.

    Tariq Naqash

AJK poll schedule likely to be announced this week

The Election Commission of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) said on Monday that the schedule for the upcoming general elections was expected to be announced in the ongoing week, after which electoral activities would formally begin.

The clarification came in a late-night press release, apparently issued in response to reports circulating on social media that attributed June 4 as the date for the announcement of the election schedule to Chief Election Commissioner retired Justice Ghulam Mustafa Mughal.

The claim, first shared by a digital media outlet, was subsequently reproduced by numerous social media users, prompting the election watchdog to issue a statement, though it made no direct reference to the reports.

“In accordance with the Constitution of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, general elections must be held within 60 days preceding the expiry of the Legislative Assembly's constitutional term,” the commission said.

It noted that the constitutional term of the incumbent assembly was calculated from Aug 3, 2021, when its first session was held.

The commission further said that under constitutional and legal requirements, the election schedule had to be issued at least 45 days before the expiry of the assembly's term to ensure the timely and orderly completion of the electoral process.

“Keeping these constitutional requirements in view, it is expected that the schedule for the general elections will be issued in the first week of June, after which electoral activities will formally commence,” a spokesperson for the commission said.

The spokesperson said the commission was finalising all necessary arrangements to ensure free, fair, transparent and impartial elections.

He added that coordination and consultations with relevant institutions were under way to ensure that the electoral process was completed smoothly and in accordance with constitutional and legal requirements.

         Tariq Naqash

 

Haider urges Islamabad to prevent 'tempering with AJK Constitution'

          Senior Pakistan Muslim League-N leader Raja Farooq Haider on Monday called upon the government of Pakistan to firmly restrain those who were “tampering with the Constitution of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).”

“We, too, can do a great deal through our own strength, but we neither want to create unrest here nor do anything that could benefit India…What is happening is part of a conspiracy to alienate the people of Pakistan from the people of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. We demand that the Government of Pakistan take practical measures against it,” he said while addressing a gathering of party workers from LA-33, Muzaffarabad-VII, in the town of Chinari, some 50 kilometres south of Muzaffarabad. 

Mr Haider said his party believed in the rule of law and that no group could be allowed to make decisions on behalf of the state. 

“Some people wish to introduce here the same lieutenant governor system that exists across the divide, where a puppet chief minister cannot even offer prayers at the graves of martyrs. There, the honour of our mothers, sisters and daughters is not safe. We cannot betray their blood and mission.”

Addressing the youth, he said: “Pursue whatever legitimate demands you have, but whose mandate do you possess? You did not contest elections, nor was any referendum held. How, then, have you acquired the mandate to roam around making decisions on behalf of the state?”

Mr Haider criticised AJK Prime Minister Raja Faisal Rathore, saying neither he nor his ministers were aware of what was happening. 

He urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir to take notice of the situation.

“The people of occupied Kashmir still look towards the Pakistan Army. In Azad Kashmir, a constitutional process in the form of elections is about to take place. Creating obstacles in its way and raising all kinds of demands amounts to betrayal of the Constitution.”

He also urged federal ministers to stay away from the matter, arguing that, in his view, the AJK Legislative Assembly did not possess the authority to enact legislation — including the abolition of refugee seats — that could potentially harm the Kashmir cause.

“I have no personal dispute with anyone, but circumstances cannot be ignored. I swear before Allah that we will never turn our backs on the ideology of accession to Pakistan or the ideology of Pakistan.”

Recalling the sacrifices of Kashmiri refugees, he said they gave him goosebumps. 

“I am heir to a historic legacy. As long as I live, and with the support of the people, I will not allow anyone to drive a wedge between the refugees and the people of Azad Kashmir.” 

“Tomorrow they may even demand the abolition of voting rights for refugees settled in Azad Kashmir. Whether we form a government or not is immaterial — no one can create a rift in this relationship.”

The PML-N leader maintained that the refugees settled in Pakistan were also an integral part of Azad Kashmir. “Unfortunately, political parties brought forward certain individuals on refugee seats whose conduct generated resentment among the public. However, that does not mean these seats should be abolished.”

The event was also addressed by recently inducted PML-N legislator and former minister Chaudhry Muhammad Rasheed, Mirza Asif, Sujawal Khan, Aslam Kazmi and Aftab Kayani, among others, who endorsed Mr Rasheed’s decision to join the party and pledged their full support.

Earlier, when Mr Haider arrived in Chinari alongside Mr Rasheed, they were accorded a rousing welcome. Hundreds of supporters escorted them in a large procession to the rest house. Mr Rasheed was mounted on a mare, while party workers raised enthusiastic slogans.

On the occasion, Mr Haider said those who compromised national interests for the sake of acquiring power had become cautionary examples in history. He maintained that PML-N had served the people of AJK and that the time was nearing for an end to what he described as the worst political victimisation witnessed over the past five years.

He said his party had full confidence in the Election Commission to ensure free, fair and impartial elections.

Referring to the AJK Constitution, he said: “Read the First Schedule. The second condition in Article 57 places responsibility on the Government of Pakistan to ensure the enforcement of the Constitution and law here. It is their constitutional obligation. If they fail to do so, it will amount to deceiving us. We, too, can act, but we do not want to take the law into our own hands or resort to violence.”

Tariq Naqash

AJK to host 'all parties conference' on refugee seats issue on Wednesday

    The ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) will jointly host an all-parties conference (APC) in Muzaffarabad on Wednesday to seek the views of political and other stakeholders on a contentious demand by a rights movement for the abolition of 12 Legislative Assembly seats reserved for Pakistan-based refugees from Indian-occupied territory of the erstwhile princely state.

    The decision was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad on Monday.

    The meeting, which lasted for an hour, was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, Prime Minister's Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah, former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and former federal minister Qamar Zaman Kaira. Representing the Kashmiri leadership were AJK Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore, Leader of the Opposition and PML-N AJK president Shah Ghulam Qadir, and the party's secretary general, Chaudhry Tariq Farooq.

    According to sources, the participants agreed that all political and religio-political parties and organisations with a stake in the issue would be invited to attend the conference.

    The sources said the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) would also be invited to present its viewpoint before representatives of the broader political spectrum.

    The meeting resolved that there would be “no compromise on the government of Pakistan’s principled position on the issue of Kashmir”, the sources said, declining to divulge further details.

    The proposal to convene an APC was first floated during marathon but ultimately unsuccessful negotiations between a federal government team and the JAAC in Muzaffarabad on Saturday.

    According to reliable sources, the federal team, with the support of local PPP and PML-N leaders, had presented four options to the committee's core members. These included convening an APC on the issue, holding a referendum to ascertain public opinion, filing a reference before the AJK Supreme Court, or contesting the forthcoming elections on the issue and seeking a mandate from the electorate to abolish the refugee seats.

    The JAAC leadership rejected all four proposals.

    In response, the committee reiterated its demand for the abolition of the refugee seats. It also called for the election schedule to be withheld until fresh population-based delimitation was carried out and electoral reforms were introduced.

    The committee further demanded that jobs and admissions to professional colleges be granted on the basis of AJK domicile rather than State Subject certificates alone.

    The JAAC also proposed that the AJK government, excluding representation from refugee lawmakers, be recognised as the representative government of the erstwhile princely state. It argued that if representation of Pakistan-based refugees was considered inevitable, four of them should be indirectly elected to the AJK Council rather than serve as members of the Legislative Assembly.

    The proposal to hold an APC was announced by Mr Sanaullah shortly after the talks ended in a deadlock, with both sides failing to reach consensus on the issue of the refugee seats. At the time, Mr Sanaullah had indicated that the conference could be held over the weekend.

Tariq Naqash

Talks between federal team, JAAC end without accord; June 9 strike call remains in force

  Abolishing 12 assembly seats for Pakistan-based refugees remains key stumbling; Government insists dialogue process will continue next week
 

Marathon talks between a federal ministerial team and the core leadership of the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) ended without an agreement late on Saturday night, with the latter announcing that its June 9 strike call would go ahead as scheduled.

"Today, we held talks with the representatives of the governments of Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) throughout the day on all issues, including the 12 refugee seats. Despite the breach of trust, we had detailed discussions, and proposals were exchanged as well," JAAC core member Shaukat Nawaz Mir told reporters soon after the committee's leaders emerged from the meeting room at around 11:20pm.

"The official representatives asked us to postpone our strike call. But we have decided to keep it intact and we call upon the masses to expedite preparations for it," he said.

Mr Mir hastened to make it clear that the JAAC had "welcomed every serious effort on the part of the government for resolution of demands" and renewed its resolve to extend a similar gesture in future.

The talks were convened in an effort to persuade the JAAC to withdraw its planned strike and resolve differences over its charter of demands.

The process, which continued for more than nine hours with breaks in between, assumed added significance because the strike call has raised concerns about its possible impact on AJK's forthcoming general elections, expected in the last week of July.

Although the election schedule has yet to be announced, observers believe any prolonged agitation could complicate preparations for the polls.

The federal delegation comprised cabinet members Rana Sanaullah, Tariq Fazal Chaudhry and Ahsan Iqbal of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, alongside former premier Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and former federal minister Qamar Zaman Kaira of the Pakistan Peoples Party.

AJK Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore, PPP regional president Chaudhry Muhammad Yasin, PML-N regional president Shah Ghulam Qadir and PML-N regional secretary general Chaudhry Tariq Farooq also attended the talks.

Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs Amir Muqam was absent. His absence came amid the JAAC's repeated demand that he be excluded from the negotiations due to alleged bias. However, members of the federal delegation maintained that he was occupied with engagements related to the Gilgit-Baltistan elections.

The JAAC was represented by 16 core members, including Shaukat Nawaz Mir, Raja Amjad Ali Khan, Anjum Zaman Awan, Umar Nazir Kashmiri, Saad Ansari and Imtiaz Aslam.

The first round of talks began shortly before 2pm and continued until 4pm. Participants said all but one of the 38 points in the JAAC's charter of demands were discussed.

The remaining issue was the most contentious: the abolition of 12 legislative assembly seats reserved for Pakistan-based refugees from Indian-occupied Kashmir. Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal left for Islamabad before the first session concluded, citing prior engagements.

The refugee seats remain a key disagreement. The PML-N's AJK chapter opposes their abolition, expecting to perform strongly in the 10 constituencies located within Punjab.

The PPP, which currently enjoys the support of five refugee lawmakers, is reportedly less invested in retaining the seats due to limited electoral prospects.

During a break in the talks, members of the official delegations remained at the hotel for lunch. However, JAAC representatives declined to join them and instead drove to Chattar Chowk for a meal, saying they did not wish to be part of what they described as the wasteful use of taxpayers' money.

Speaking to reporters during the interval, JAAC leader Umar Nazir Kashmiri rejected the impression that the talks were focused solely on the refugee seats issue.

"Negotiations are being held on all points included in our charter of demands, not just the 12 seats," he said.

"If the issue of these seats is resolved, we will withdraw our strike call," he added.

            Mr Kashmiri maintained that the abolition of elite privileges was an equally important demand.

            "We want an end to the privileges enjoyed by rulers, the bureaucracy and the judiciary at the expense of poor taxpayers," he said.

The second session began at 6:10pm and concluded at 11:20pm.

A short while later, Rana Sanaullah and other members of the federal delegation also spoke to reporters, insisting that the negotiations had not broken down.

"The negotiations have absolutely not failed; this process will continue," Mr Sanaullah said.

"We held the meeting in a very good atmosphere. We also gave some suggestions, and they did too. The process of dialogue and consultation on these issues will continue next week as well."

He said the AJK government and the opposition PML-N had agreed to convene an all-parties conference on the situation and the JAAC's demands so that all stakeholders could be taken into confidence. According to him, another round of talks was expected on June 6 or 7 following the conference.

Responding to a question about the possible impact of the dispute on the forthcoming elections, Mr Sanaullah said the polls would be held in accordance with the Constitution and expressed confidence that the situation would be defused before then.

Tariq Naqash