SOUTH ASIA INTELLIGENCE REVIEW

Weekly Assessments & BriefingsVolume 5, No. 1
,
July 17, 2006

PAKISTAN

Saji Cherian Research Fellow, Institute for Conflict Management

The last elections were held for the 49-seat Assembly, consisting of 29 constituencies from eight Districts of PoK, 12 constituencies meant for Jammu and Kashmir ‘refugees' dwelling in various parts of Pakistan, and eight reserved seats – five for women and one each for the Ulema-Mashaikh (religious scholars), technocrats and overseas Kashmiris.
According to Dr. Syed Nazir Gilani, Chairman of the International Kashmir Alliance (IKA), "The Azad Jammu and Kashmir Interim Constitution Act, 1974 (Act VIII of 1974) in its preamble exposes more than it could enhance the credibility of the political set up domiciled at Muzaffarabad. Section 4 (7) (2) which reads as ‘No person or political party in Azad Kashmir shall be permitted to propagate against, or take part in activities prejudicial or detrimental to, the ideology of the State's accession to Pakistan', is a serious violation of Article 21 (3) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and a violation of the principles in regard to elections embodied in the report of UN Secretary General A/46/609 and Corr.1 par.76." Sardar Sabir Kashmiri, Chairman of APNA, notes, "Keeping people of a particular thinking out of the elections clearly demonstrates that these are not democratic elections," and added further that, "The media has confirmed massive rigging and voting at gunpoint, and has exposed the Pakistani conspiracy in these elections

A Pakistani spokesperson, however, claimed that Islamabad ‘played no role' in the rejection of nominations of candidates for the elections in as the region's elections were ‘determined by its own Constitution'. Pakistan-based JKLF leader Amanullah Khan, however, described the region's Constitution as a "rubber-stamp document" that had been presented as a fait accompli to the Kashmiris by the Pakistan Government
This dominance is not just limited to the power centers but extends to the ground level. The HRCP, in its report titled, State of Human Rights in Azad Jammu & Kashmir, in July 2004, noted that "Fundamental freedoms, such as the freedom of movement, freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and freedom of association are often infringed in AJK under various pretenses, despite claims to the contrary by the officials." The charade of manipulated elections does little to alter these realities.

As Shafqat Inqalabi, spokesman of the Balawaristan National Front, which is fighting for democratic and civil rights in the Gilgit-Baltistan region where no elections have been held since Pakistan's occupation in 1948, expressed it, "There was no election in PoK; there was only a selection of MLAs by Pakistani Government agencies and the Army."
For the Pakistani establishment, absolute control over the occupied territories is crucial on two counts. Firstly, it is imperative for the establishment to prevent any form of dissent, so that it can continue to portray before the international community that Kashmiris have been treated equally and prefer Pakistan over India. Secondly and in current terms, crucially, the terror infrastructure operated by jehadi outfits is based in these areas, and loss of absolute control over these regions would invite greater scrutiny and accountability.
The South Asia Intelligence Review (SAIR) is a weekly service that brings you regular data, assessments a

Institute for Conflict Management and the HYPERLINK "http://www.satp.org"South Asia Terrorism PortalHYPERLINK "http://www.satp.org".

Publisher K. P. S. Gill

SAIR can be freely published in any form with credit to the South Asia Intelligence Review of the South Asia Terrorism Portal