'Pakistan Is Facing The Wrath Of Its Own Creation In PoK'

Islamabad : 'The anger among the PoK public is unlikely to subside against the Pakistani State in the near future.'

'The protest in PoK is happening against the occupation of their territory by the Pakistani army.'

'PoK protests are not pro-India but against the Pakistani establishment.''India should stay away from this problem.'
 
Political developments in Pakistan occupied Kashmir have drawn renewed attention following unrest, calls for an election boycott, and protests against the Pakistani government which have resulted in killing of 30 people.

At the centre of the agitation is the long-standing demand by protesters to amend the region's constitutional framework, particularly the provision reserving 12 legislative assembly seats for migrants from Jammu and Kashmir who settled in Pakistan after 1947.

Protestors in PoK argue that these seats should be merged with the directly elected constituencies within PoK, alleging that the current arrangement dilutes local political representation and gives Islamabad a direct authority over the region.

Alongside this constitutional demand, protesters have also raised concerns over unemployment, inflation, inadequate healthcare and education, poor infrastructure, and what they describe as a lack of political accountability.

The unrest comes as authorities proceed with the third phase of elections on August 10 despite calls from some groups for reforms before the polls are held.

Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff spoke to Avinash Mohananey, a retired Intelligence Bureau officer who spent considerable time in Pakistan on security assignments, about the protests.

Understanding the PoK Protests and Elections : The elections that are being conducted in 53 Pakistan occupied Kashmir assembly seats were to be held in one phase and then they had to be conducted in three phases suddenly. And now you see a surge of revolt in PoK against the Pakistan government. Why?

The elections were due this year in Pakistan occupied Kashmir and the trouble erupted because protestors are demanding a change in the constitution so that those 12 seats which are reserved for migrants (from Jammu and Kashmir) are done away with and merged with the main 53-seat assembly of Pakistan occupied Kashmir.

The protestors are demanding that the constitution of Pakistan occupied Kashmir needs to be changed and only then elections should be conducted.

But the Pakistan government didn't agree and went ahead with elections, which has resulted in violence on the streets.

There are other old demands too like, people of PoK are agitated over issues like lack of employment opportunities, low quality of education, no healthcare services, bad roads, rise in prices of wheat flour etc.

There are 38 such demands, but the foremost demand is of the 12 migrant seats that the people of Pakistan occupied Kashmir want to do away with.

They feel the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), gets their people elected to those 12 sets and then control Pakistan occupied Kashmir to rule it to their own benefit.

When were these 12 seats constituted and why was it done?

These 12 seats are reserved for those Kashmiris who migrated from India to Pakistan in 1947-1948 and thereafter.

These Kashmiri migrants are settled in various parts of Pakistan.

These 12 PoK assembly constituencies are located in Karachi, Sialkot, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, and even in Balochistan.

And in these 12 constituencies voters are very few and the turnout on polling day is also low.

By and large elections to these 12 seats are managed and rigged by ISI.

In the 53-seat PoK assembly, 45 are elected and eight are nominated. Among these 45 elected seats, 12 are reserved for refugees from Jammu and Kashmir who are settled in Pakistan -- six for refugees from the Kashmir Valley and six for refugees from Jammu.

Why is a seat in Karachi or for that matter Lahore reserved for elections in Pakistan occupied Kashmir?

This is the difference between elections in Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan occupied Kashmir.

In J&K even those migrants who stay outside J&K are allowed to vote, and to vote in constituencies which are located in J&K.

Protest in Lahore in support of JAAC, PoK : Impact on Regional Dynamics and India-Pakistan Relations : What about Pakistan-based terrorist Syed Salahuddin who propagates terrorism in India and demands azadi for Kashmir, does he support the people of Pakistan occupied Kashmir?

Syed Salahuddin and all other such terrorists are old now. If they oppose the demand of the people of PoK then they lose their appeal to recruit people from PoK and J&K too.

How will this change in the political scenario affect the minds of people from Kashmir? Will they feel it is better to be a part of India rather than Pakistan?

The protest in PoK is happening against the occupation of their territory by the Pakistani army.

You've got to understand that the PoK protests are not pro-India but against the Pakistani establishment.

There is a small fraction in J&K who have to learn what Pakistanis can do to Kashmiris in PoK.

They will lose their hold in J&K after this eruption of violence in PoK.

What direction these protests take will decide the future of Indo-Pak relations and Kashmiris on both sides.

Does this protest in PoK give hope to us that in future the younger generation in J&K will not take to guns or get influenced by Pakistani propaganda?

There are people who support the independence of Kashmir from India and Pakistan, they will get a boost, but those who wanted our side of J&K to merge with Pakistan, they are going to get a setback.

Moreover, Kashmiris from PoK who have seen our part of J&K have seen medical colleges, engineering colleges and good health services which were never available in PoK. Even simple MRI scans are not available in PoK. The situation is that bad.

Does this boom in the tourism sector and the growing income of Kashmiris in J&K compared to PoK pose a problem for Pakistan? Especially after we scrapped Article 370.

It looks like things have changed for good on the ground. Development on our side affects PoK.

If you bring train stations to Srinagar it does affect the people of PoK because till date there is no airport in PoK whereas we have had Srinagar airport for years.

There is no train connection from Islamabad to Muzaffarabad in PoK. You can only travel by road and there is no other option.

Voting in PoK assembly elections : Shifting Sentiments and India's Stance : The strong pro-Pakistan feeling in PoK areas where people wanted to merge J&K with Pakistan has shifted now. When and how did this change start? Is the young generation now demanding more from Pakistan?

The earlier generation too started getting disillusioned with the Pakistani State but now the problem is the continuous manipulation of electoral process by the ISI in PoK.

Take the example of 12 elected members of the PoK assembly who get elected from outside PoK, they all get ministries or some kind of perks. It is the elite's capture of power over the people of PoK.

These 12 people have to be Kashmiris, and that too from India, right?

Not necessarily migrants only but those who crossed to Pakistan say in 1947-1948, their children are among these 12 elected members.

Now these Kashmiris, say, who are born in Rawalpindi, Karachi or Lahore are getting to be a minister in PoK.

How is Imran Khan's party doing because the Tehreek-e-Insaaf is protesting against the Pakistani establishment in PoK and so is the Joint Awami Action Committee?

Right now, the Joint Awami Action Committee is very strong in PoK. Their enforcement of a strike is very successful.

According to the JAAC the Pakistani police have killed almost 100 protestors till date in PoK. So the anger is on the ground and therefore the call to boycott elections in PoK is effective.

The anger among the PoK public is unlikely to subside against the Pakistani State in the near future.

As far as the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf is concerned, they did the same thing in PoK when they were in power, just like the present Pakistan government is doing. So there is no love for the PTI either.

How should India look at it?

India should stay away from this problem.

Pakistan is facing the wrath of its own creation.

They created a farce in PoK by stating that it is a separate country with their own prime minister and president etc by calling it Azad Kashmir.

That farce is over now and that too in front of the international community.

Now Pakistan cannot talk of anything that is happening on our side of J&K like human rights and other things which they trump out every time in international fora.