This comment examines the constitutional crisis in the so-called Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), detailing how contested refugee seats and federal overreach sparked mass protests, leading to a state-sponsored anti-terrorism crackdown ahead of the 2026 elections
Behind Pakistan’s narrative of “Azad Kashmir” lies a region marked by political control, constitutional restrictions, and recurring unrest. The contrast between Pakistan’s rhetoric and its record in AJK(PoK) deserves closer scrutiny.
As repression intensifies in AJK (PoK), the very people, whose cause Pakistan claimed to champion, are increasingly turning against it. What is unfolding today is not merely a law-and-order crisis, but a challenge to the narratives that have shaped Pakistan’s Kashmir policy for decades.
Comments
Governance deficit, Grievances, and the Criminalisation of Dissent: The Crisis of Constitutional Legitimacy in AJK(PoK)
Mohammad Usman Bhatti
This comment examines the constitutional crisis in the so-called Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), detailing how contested refugee seats and federal overreach sparked mass protests, leading to a state-sponsored anti-terrorism crackdown ahead of the 2026 elections
Azad in Name, Controlled in Reality: The Colonial Contradictions of Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir
Idrees Aftab
Behind Pakistan’s narrative of “Azad Kashmir” lies a region marked by political control, constitutional restrictions, and recurring unrest. The contrast between Pakistan’s rhetoric and its record in AJK(PoK) deserves closer scrutiny.
Pak Army’s Desperation in AJK(PoK): How Brute Force Shattered Pakistan’s Kashmir Narrative
Idrees Aftab
As repression intensifies in AJK (PoK), the very people, whose cause Pakistan claimed to champion, are increasingly turning against it. What is unfolding today is not merely a law-and-order crisis, but a challenge to the narratives that have shaped Pakistan’s Kashmir policy for decades.