Pakistan-occupied Kashmir constitutionally not part of Pakistan : Awami action committee leader

Islamabad (Pakistan) – Arif Chaudhry, a prominent leader of the Joint Awami Action Committee’s Mirpur chapter, held a press conference at the Mirpur Press Club on Tuesday, stating that the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is not constitutionally a territory of Pakistan.

He further highlighted the mistreatment and neglect faced by the residents of these regions, emphasising decades of oppression and suffering. Chaudhry criticised the Pakistani administration for failing to address the needs of the people and accused Pakistan of looting, forcibly displacing, and oppressing them. Referring to Article 257 of the Constitution of Pakistan, he asserted that Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is not legally a part of Pakistan, citing an agreement between India and Pakistan in a United Nations resolution from the 1940s. Chaudhry lamented that despite this agreement, the people of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir have yet to receive their rights.

What is Pakistan-occupied Kashmir ?

Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) refers to the region of Jammu and Kashmir that came under Pakistani control after the partition of British India in 1947. Following the partition, the Pakistani army, along with tribal rebels, occupied this part of Jammu and Kashmir. The issue was taken to the United Nations by then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, while the Indian Army engaged in efforts to recapture the region. The United Nations intervened and brokered a ceasefire, establishing the Line of Control (LoC) to demarcate the territories held by India and Pakistan. Since then, both countries have stationed their armies on either side of the LoC. PoK spans approximately 840 km along longitudinal boundaries between the two countries. Pakistan refers to PoK as ‘Azad Kashmir’ and has divided it into two parts, Gilgit and Baltistan.

The Indian government has periodically expressed its intent to reclaim PoK. Following the formation of the BJP Government led by Narendra Modi at the Center in 2014 and the subsequent revocation of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir, there has been heightened discourse and demand for the return of PoK to India.