The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear a constitutional reference concerning the status of 12 legislative seats reserved for Jammu and Kashmir refugees residing in Pakistan. This development comes amid escalating political tensions and a looming strike called by the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC), which demands the abolition of these seats.
A two-member bench, headed by AJK Chief Justice Raja Saeed Akram and including Justice Khalid Yousuf Chaudhry, issued notices to the AJK government, opposition parties, bar councils, and the public after a brief initial hearing. The court scheduled the next session for Saturday morning, signaling the urgency of the matter.
The AJK government approached the Supreme Court under Article 46-A of the AJK Interim Constitution, 1974, which permits seeking the court’s advisory opinion on issues of public and constitutional significance.
The controversy centers on 12 seats reserved specifically for refugees who migrated from Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and now live across various provinces of Pakistan. While supporters argue these seats ensure essential representation, critics claim the arrangement is vulnerable to political exploitation.
The JKJAAC, leading recent protests in the region, has persistently called for the elimination of these reserved seats. The timing of the court’s intervention is crucial, as a high-level committee formed by the Pakistani government had agreed in October last year to abolish these seats, but no action followed.
With the government’s delay in implementation, the JKJAAC announced a strike scheduled for June 9, threatening a full regional shutdown to press their demands. In response, the AJK government filed the constitutional reference on Thursday, moving the contentious issue into the judicial domain.
The Supreme Court’s decision to hold a follow-up hearing within 24 hours highlights the gravity of the situation, as authorities aim to prevent a potential law-and-order crisis before the strike deadline.
Meanwhile, the AJK Election Commission released the schedule for the upcoming general elections, confirming polling will take place on July 27 throughout the region. The JKJAAC has declared that any election held without resolving the refugee seat issue would be considered illegitimate and has hinted at boycotting the polls if the matter remains unsettled.
Earlier, various political and religious parties in AJK reaffirmed their support for conducting the legislative assembly elections as planned and urged that constitutional reforms be addressed through elected bodies. This consensus emerged during a meeting chaired by AJK Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore at the Prime Minister’s House in Muzaffarabad.
The gathering of political and religious leaders also adopted a unanimous resolution reaffirming support for the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination in line with United Nations Security Council resolutions. They condemned ongoing human rights abuses by Indian forces in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, emphasizing solidarity with the Kashmiri cause.
