refugee seats

Political efforts in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) ahead of elections focus on engaging with the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), which protests against refugee seats in the legislature. Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Nawaz Sharif are visiting the region to campaign, while the Overseas Pakistanis Foundation (OPF) Chairman Syed Qamar Raza attempted a personal initiative to persuade JAAC leaders to abandon violence.

Azad Kashmir has experienced violent protests since June led by the proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), resulting in approximately 30 deaths. The JAAC's demand to abolish refugee seats in the AJK legislature has caused a deadlock, while political actors propose negotiations to restore calm ahead of regional polls.

Clashes between police and supporters of the banned Joint Awami Action Committee in Pakistan-administered Kashmir left a police officer dead and several wounded. The group had blocked roads for a month, demanding the abolition of 12 Legislative Assembly seats reserved for refugees from Indian-controlled Kashmir, a demand rejected by the regional Supreme Court.

Nawaz Sharif urged Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) protesters to end sit-ins and engage in dialogue with the government, emphasizing constitutional rights and the need for peace ahead of upcoming elections. The PML-N leader highlighted tensions over refugee seats, inflation, and electricity tariffs, calling for collective efforts to resolve the situation.

PPP-AJK urged the election commission to withdraw the polling schedule for 12 refugee seats in Azad Jammu and Kashmir amid unrest, citing the need for dialogue to address protests by the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) against the reservation of these seats for refugees from Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

Gilgit-Baltistan's elections concluded peacefully amid initial concerns, while Pakistani Kashmir faces tensions over upcoming elections and disputes over 12 refugee seats. The Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) demands abolition of these seats, arguing they distort local democracy, but the government opposes this and banned the group, escalating protests and casualties.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif urged the proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) to allow Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) voters to decide the fate of 12 refugee seats in the region’s Legislative Assembly. The JAAC demands abolishing the seats reserved for Kashmiri refugees, but Asif argued that refugees’ voting rights should not be removed, emphasizing their historical sacrifices and Pakistan’s collective stake in AJK.

A strike called by the banned Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) disrupted business and transport in Pakistan-administered Kashmir following clashes between the group's supporters and security forces that killed seven people. The strike followed a court ruling protecting 12 legislative seats for Kashmiri refugees in Pakistan, which the JAAC opposes, and authorities have deployed security forces and suspended internet access to curb the protest.

Tensions between the Azad Kashmir government and the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) have escalated after a trader affiliated with JAAC was shot by law-enforcers, leading to violent clashes that killed four policemen and seven protesters. The JAAC, recently proscribed by the regional administration, demands the abolition of refugee seats for those who left Indian-administered Kashmir and settled in Azad Kashmir, prompting calls for de-escalation and dialogue.

The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) administration banned the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) ahead of a planned protest on June 9. The JAAC demands abolishing 12 refugee seats reserved for Indian-held Kashmir residents in AJK's governance. The article criticizes the ban as undemocratic and urges dialogue between the administration and JAAC to address grievances peacefully.

The Azad Jammu and Kashmir government banned the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) under the region’s anti-terrorism act, citing its involvement in terrorism and disruption of the electoral process. The group’s demand to abolish refugee-representative seats in the Legislative Assembly and its planned strike on June 9, coinciding with election nominations, intensified tensions.

The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government issued a travel advisory from June 5 to June 20, urging outsiders to avoid the region and current visitors to leave before a protest by the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) on June 9. The protest demands abolishing 12 Legislative Assembly seats reserved for refugees from Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, a move opposed by the AJK government. Federal paramilitary troops have been deployed to prevent unrest following past violent clashes.