MUZAFFARABAD: Senior Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) leader Raja Farooq Haider on Monday strongly opposed any move to abolish the 12 Legislative Assembly seats reserved for refugees from India-held Jammu and Kashmir and urged the government of Pakistan to stop those who were “interfering with the constitutional framework of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).”

Addressing a gathering of party office-bearers, elected representatives and workers of LA-33, Muzaffarabad-VII, in Chinari, about 50 kilometres from here, the former AJK prime minister argued that neither the AJK Legislative Assembly nor any other forum had the authority to enact legislation that could undermine the Kashmir cause. “In my view, the Legislative Assembly does not have the authority to pass any law, including the abolition of refugee seats, that could cause any harm to the Kashmir cause,” he said, adding that Islamabad should firmly stop those who were “tampering with the AJK Constitution”. Mr Haider said his party could respond to such developments but did not want to create unrest or take any step that could benefit India.

Apparently referring to the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), though without naming it, he criticised groups seeking to influence state affairs and constitutional arrangements without an electoral mandate. “You did not contest elections, nor was any referendum held. How, then, have you acquired the mandate to make decisions on behalf of the state?” he asked.

Referring to the forthcoming AJK elections, he said attempts to obstruct the constitutional process or press demands that challenged the state’s constitutional structure amounted to a betrayal of the Constitution. Alleging that some elements wanted to replicate in AJK the lieutenant-governor system introduced in India-held Jammu and Kashmir, he said: “We cannot betray the blood and mission of our martyrs.”

Mr Haider criticised AJK premier Faisal Mumtaz Rathore, saying neither he nor his ministers were aware of what was happening and urged Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir to take notice of the situation. Recalling the sacrifices of Kashmiri refugees, Mr Haider said he was heir to a historic legacy and as long as he lived, he, with public support, would not allow anyone to separate the refugees from the AJK people.

He warned that those seeking abolition of refugee seats might eventually demand withdrawal of voting rights for refugees settled in AJK. While acknowledging public dissatisfaction with the performance of some refugee lawmakers, he regretted that the 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.” Reaffirming his commitment to the ideology of Pakistan and the accession of Jammu and Kashmir to Pakistan, he said the government of Pakistan was constitutionally responsible for ensuring enforcement of law in AJK and warned that failure to do so would amount to a breach of trust.

Mr Haider also expressed confidence that the Election Commission would ensure free, fair and impartial elections in AJK. The meeting was also addressed by MLA Chaudhry Muhammad Rasheed, Mirza Asif, Sajawal Khan, Aslam Kazmi and Aftab Kayani, who endorsed Mr Rasheed’s decision to join the PML-N and pledged their support.

Published in Dawn, June 2nd, 2026