MUZAFFARABAD: The Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC), spearheading the recent rights movement in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), on Friday announced a complete shutter-down and wheel-jam strike across the region on September 29, demanding the abolition of 12 legislative assembly seats reserved for refugees from Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir settled in Pakistan.

Calling these seats a “hub of corruption” and “political opportunism,” committee leaders Shaukat Nawaz Mir, Advocate Raja Amjad Ali Khan and Faisal Jameel Kashmiri alleged at a press conference that these constituencies were being exploited by individuals with no genuine link to the displaced communities.

“Our movement is rooted in the people’s long-standing concerns, not personal or party interests,” said Mr Khan. He claimed that under the AJK Interim Constitution of 1974 and UN resolutions, the refugee seats had no legal or ideological relevance to the freedom struggle. Instead, he alleged, they had become synonymous with bogus projects and large-scale embezzlement.

Mr Mir said while the genuine refugees continued to live in poor conditions in camps for decades, the self-proclaimed refugee representatives siphoned off public funds under the pretext of development schemes in Pakistani cities.

“It’s time for the people to rise for the abolition of these seats,” he said.

The leaders asserted that eliminating these seats would not weaken the Kashmir cause nor alter the region’s disputed status under international law. Instead, they said, it would begin to dismantle a deeply flawed and corrupt political structure.

They harshly criticised the AJK Legislative Assembly, calling it a “den of corruption” and accusing many of its members of switching loyalties for personal gain.

“Most sitting MLAs have no moral legitimacy and are merely drawing salaries at Islamabad’s behest,” said Mr Kashmiri.

The JKJAAC also demanded electoral reforms, restoration of state subject rights, and fresh elections to ensure true representation. They maintained that the rights of original state residents — known as State Subjects — could only be fully restored if they returned to live in AJK. Under the 1932 notification, State Subject status remained valid for two generations, even if the person resided abroad, they noted.

Acknowledging Pakistan’s jurisdiction over defence, foreign affairs, and refugee rehabilitation, the leaders stressed that federal interventions in AJK must respect constitutional boundaries and not undermine local governance.

They also condemned rising electricity tariffs and taxation, calling them unjustified burdens, and dismissed the AJK government’s role in recent negotiations with Islamabad as “non-existent.”

They urged the media to question those “running personal agendas in the name of the freedom struggle” despite lacking understanding of relevant international resolutions.

Official Response

Reacting to the remarks, an AJK government spokesperson defended the refugee seats, calling them an “integral part” of the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

The spokesperson said the region’s governance was bound by the Interim Constitution and that no pressure group could override this framework.

Published in Dawn, August 2nd, 2025