KASHMIR, Jun 9: More than 30 people were killed, and around 200 injured after Pakistani security forces opened fire on protesters in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) ahead of the region's legislative elections scheduled for 27 July.
The immediate flashpoint was a decision to reserve 12 of the 45 assembly seats for refugees in the upcoming elections. The rights group, Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), had called for a demonstration against this move, arguing it amounted to political manipulation and a suppression of local voices. The clashes broke out a day before that planned gathering.
To understand PoK, one must go back to 1947. When British India was partitioned, the Indian Independence Act gave princely states three choices: join India, join Pakistan, or remain independent.
Maharaja Hari Singh, the ruler of Jammu and Kashmir, signed the Instrument of Accession to India on October 26, 1947. The document was legally valid under the Government of India Act (1935), the Indian Independence Act (1947), and international law. More than 560 other princely states signed similar instruments without incident.
The situation in Kashmir turned complicated because Pakistan sent tribal fighters into the region in October 1947, followed by its own regular troops in May 1948. The resulting conflict ended in 1949 with a United Nations-brokered ceasefire. The ceasefire line divided the territory, leaving Pakistan in occupation of roughly 35 per cent of Jammu and Kashmir.
In February 1994, both houses of the Indian Parliament unanimously passed a resolution reaffirming that Jammu and Kashmir was an integral part of India and demanding that Pakistan vacate the areas under its illegal occupation.
PoK is divided into two parts: Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan, which was referred to as the Northern Areas until August 2009. Muzaffarabad serves as the capital of AJK, which comprises ten districts across three divisions: Mirpur, Muzaffarabad and Poonch.
On paper, PoK has its own constitution, a unicameral legislative assembly, a prime minister, a cabinet and a Supreme Court. The assembly elects both the prime minister and the president, who serves as the constitutional head of the territory.
The name "Azad Kashmir" translates to "Free Kashmir," but the ground reality tells a different story. Pakistan officially does not treat PoK as part of its own territory. The country's constitution lists four provinces: Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. AJK does not appear on that list. It also has no representation in Pakistan's national parliament.
Real power rests with the Kashmir Council, a 14-member nominated body headed by Pakistan's prime minister. Six members are appointed by the Pakistani federal government, while eight come from the AJK assembly and government. The governing framework, the Azad Kashmir Interim Constitution Act of 1974, leaves the local administration heavily reliant on Islamabad for even routine decisions.
The territory's own constitution bars political parties or individuals from campaigning against the idea of Kashmir's accession to Pakistan. Assembly members can be disqualified for doing so, and election candidates are required to sign an affidavit pledging allegiance to that position.
Article 257 in Pakistan's constitution states that if the people of Jammu and Kashmir choose to join Pakistan, the terms of that relationship will be determined in accordance with their wishes. Article 1 includes a provision for territories that may be incorporated into Pakistan by accession or otherwise.
PoK is resource-rich, and Pakistan draws considerable strategic and economic benefit from the territory while providing limited development in return. The region sits atop the Indus River system and is well-endowed with hydropower potential, forests and minerals, including graphite, bentonite, limonite, marble and gemstones.
Meanwhile, Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants killed six paramilitary personnel and abducted eight others during an attack on a checkpoint in northwestern Pakistan, security officials said on Tuesday."AGENCIES
