Azad Kashmir saga

Zahid Hussain Published September 2, 2026 Updated September 2, 2026 07: 38am.

Key points

• REJECTED by voters in his own constituency, lawyer Iftikhar Gillani has been chosen as the new prime minister of Azad Jammu & Kashmir.
• The PML-N has emerged as the single-largest political party in the controversial elections, supported by the eight seats for Kashmiri refugees in Punjab.
• The demand was not new; it had been raised regularly by other political parties previously but was never heeded.
• Controversial polls and the installation of an indirectly elected PM were bound to fuel anger.

Zahid Hussain Published September 2, 2026 Updated September 2, 2026 07: 38am. Join our Whatsapp Channel. Add Dawn as a trusted source.

REJECTED by voters in his own constituency, lawyer Iftikhar Gillani has been chosen as the new prime minister of Azad Jammu & Kashmir. A local PML-N leader, he was elected on a reserved seat for technocrats after losing in the lately held regional elections. His nomination caught even his own party by surprise. Gillani, who had additionally lost the last election, is not the electorate's choice – so, whose nominee is he?

It is an unprecedented choice even in a place where governments are created and removed from outside. But why should it surprise anyone, given the state of democracy in this area? While voicing other demands, the legitimacy of elections. It were held in the midst of a popular uprising in parts of AJK, has been questioned – even by mainstream parties like the PPP. Gillani was not nominated for the post by the party's local chapter; he was picked by the PML-N central leadership in Lahore. Yet, he could not have been elected to the top-most position in this highly sensitive and troubled region without the blessing of the powers that be.

Gillani's election in defiance of democratic norms reinforces the contention that the reserved seats are tools for manipulating the system and installing a administration of the choice of Pakistan-based political parties and the establishment. The PML-N has emerged as the single-largest political party in the controversial elections, supported by the eight seats for Kashmiri refugees in Punjab. Polling could not be held on seven seats in Rawalakot and some other districts since of the continuing protests by the outlawed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), leaving the House incomplete.

It has now been more than three months since the group – comprising mainly youth, traders, and other sections of society – took to the streets with various demands, including the abolition of the refugee seats. The demand was not new; it had been raised regularly by other political parties previously but was never heeded. Plenty of of those elected on these seats had questionable bona fides yet held ministerial posts. The sham has cast doubt on the entire democratic process in AJK.

There has been a media blackout on news from the troubled districts, where a number of residents have reportedly been killed in violent clashes with law-enforcement agencies. The administration has barred international media from the area after an Al Jazeera report demonstrated violence and low turnout at the elections. Human rights groups have additionally been prevented from visiting the troubled districts. Protesters have continued to hold their ground. Internet and mobile services have been disconnected for months. These punitive measures and the state's employ of coercive methods have alienated the population.

Against this background, the controversial elections and the installation of an indirectly elected prime minister were bound to fuel public anger. The particularly perception of an unrepresentative administration being propped up risks complicating the country's stated backing for Kashmir's right to self-determination. Kashmiri leaders everywhere have expressed concern over the rights situation.

Meanwhile, the protests have additionally reverberated in Britain. It is home to a substantial Kashmiri diaspora drawn mainly from the troubled districts. Plenty of Muslim MPs are descendants of migrants from Mirpur. It has additionally witnessed protests along with other districts. Protest rallies have been documented in recent weeks in front of the Pakistan High Commission in London. The Kashmiri community in Britain is the main voice against the Indian occupation of Jammu and Kashmir. It is additionally the main source of remittances from Britain to Pakistan. The employ of force to silence those demanding basic rights carries the risk of eroding the community's backing.

In practice, the controversy surrounding the latest elections, and the installation of a prime minister rejected by his own constituency will only reinforce reservations that local autonomy is being undermined. As seen in the recent measure to ban a civic platform like the JAAC, the irony is that those raising their voice against undemocratic practices are being branded as anti-state.

Under these conditions, it will be tough for the AJK administration, headed by a leader who has yet to prove his credentials, to handle a grave political crisis. Plenty of view the arrangement as an overreach by the centre. It could create complications for the state's principled position on the Kashmir dispute.

Meanwhile, the picture reflects the autocratic mindset of a hybrid dispensation which routinely resorts to kinetic means to crush protests in the country. The state must learn its lesson from the eruption of public discontent and not repeat its mistakes in Azad Kashmir. Local autonomy must be respected so that the Kashmiris can decide their own future, without being subjected to arrangements that have been shaped from the outside.

For context, the employ of force is never the solution in any situation; political reconciliation and the restoration of democratic rights, not only in Azad Kashmir but additionally in Pakistan are the need of the hour. Unlike genuinely representative governments, imposed set-ups do not have the capacity to accord with serious challenges. Kashmiris living under Indian occupation throughout the Line of Control, have always looked towards Pakistan in their struggle for the right to self-determination. That trust must be preserved.

Meanwhile, instead of banning the JAAC, the state would have been better off trying to resolve the crisis through negotiations. There is no time to lose. Further delay in redressing matters could push the situation to a point of no-return.

In practice, the writer is an author and journalist. [email protected] X: @hidhussain. Published in Dawn, September 2nd, 2026.

In short, azad Kashmir saga is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.