KARACHI: In yet another jolt to the coalition government in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), three ministers on Friday announced their resignation from the cabinet, with two of them calling upon Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq to step down for what they described as his failure to safeguard the constitutional rights of Kashmiri refugees, Dawn.com reported.

Finance Minister Abdul Majid Khan and Food Minister Chaudhry Akbar Ibrahim announced their decision at a joint press conference here, while Sports, Youth and Culture Minister Asim Sharif Butt sent his resignation directly to the prime minister, opting to stay away from media interaction.

All three were elected on PTI tickets in the 2021 general elections from LA-45 (Valley-VI), LA-38 (Jammu-V) and LA-42 (Valley-III) — constituencies reserved for Kashmiri refugees who migrated to Pakistan after 1947. However, the trio had later joined the faction of PTI defectors led by Mr Haq in 2023.

Their resignations came in protest against the agreement recently signed between a seven-member federal government committee and the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC), which, among other matters, addressed the contentious issue of the 12 legislative assembly seats reserved for Kashmiri refugees settled across Pakistan.

Outgoing politicians assail AJK PM for ‘failure to safeguard constitutional rights of Kashmiri refugees’; information minister’s earlier resignation yet to be accepted by PM

Earlier this week, Information Minister Pir Mazhar Shah had also announced his resignation from the cabinet. However, three days later, the AJK PM’s Office has yet to confirm its acceptance.

According to the agreement, “a high-powered committee comprising two legal experts each from the federal and AJK governments and the JKJAAC will deliberate on the issue.

Till the submission of its final report, the provisions, concessions, allocation of funds, and status of ministries under the existing arrangements to the MLAs from refugee constituencies will be held in abeyance”.

Calling the JKJAAC an “unelected, baton-wielding group”, Mr Khan and Mr Ibrahim said the accord had effectively legitimised an “unconstitutional and morally indefensible demand, reached under pressure and without wider consultation”.

They alleged that the deal violated the fundamental rights of thousands of Kashmiri refugees and struck at the heart of AJK’s constitutional and political framework. They said that the campaign against the refugee seats was a malicious move by a small group of traders and self-styled representatives pursuing narrow interests “under the guise of reforms”.

The real target, they asserted, was not the government but the identity, representation and political recognition of the refugee community that had made immense sacrifices for Pakistan and the cause of Kashmir’s accession.

Both ministers argued that these seats were not a privilege but a historic and conscious constitutional decision, part of AJK’s political setup since 1947. The reserved seats, they said, symbolised the constitutional acknowledgment of the sacrifices and long displacement endured by those who lost everything for the cause of Pakistan.

They termed the JKJAAC’s questioning of these seats’ existence a denial of the pain, identity and political significance of an entire generation exiled for its struggle for accession to Pakistan.

Mr Khan also shared his two-page resignation letter, wherein he reaffirmed his belief in the ideology of the State of Jammu and Kashmir’s lawful accession and integration with Pakistan, in accordance with the wishes of its entire population, including the 2.5 million Pakistan-based refugees.

He said it had become “utterly impossible to continue to serve under the present government, which has failed to effectively defend and protect the constitutional rights of Kashmiri refugees, nor shown the will to assume responsibility or challenge this serious constitutional violation”.

Declaring that he had no moral choice but to resign from the AJK cabinet effective October 17, Mr Khan vowed to continue defending the rights of Jammu and Kashmir refugees and to raise his voice for their rightful place in the political and constitutional structures of both AJK and Pakistan.

Mr Ibrahim, in his resignation letter, echoed similar views, stating that Prime Minister Haq had failed to stop the unlawful demand raised by the JKJAAC and to protect the rights of around three million Pakistan-based refugees from occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Both Mr Khan and Mr Ibrahim charged Mr Haq with conspiring against the refugee MLAs and called upon him to resign from office.

Mr Butt, in his letter, expressed his and his constituents’ loss of confidence in the AJK government in the wake of the agreement, saying he could no longer remain part of it.

Published in Dawn, October 18th, 2025