The crackdown by Pakistani security forces on peaceful protests in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) has resulted in more than 90 deaths since June this year. Against the background of escalating violence, the 12th Assembly elections were held in the territory. The Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), or PML(N), won the majority with seats in the 53-member house and has elected Barrister Iftikhar Gilani as the region’s next prime minister (PM). The electoral outcome, however, lacks credibility. The Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), which was leading the agitation for reform of the electoral system, was declared a terrorist organisation and banned. JAAC, in turn, issued a call for a boycott of the elections. The election for seven seats was postponed as the situation continued to be tense.
![The people of PoK continue to struggle for azaadi from Pakistan’s control. [Photo credit: AFP]](https://www.hindustantimes.com/ht-img/img/2026/09/08/550x309/Second_Photo_1788885883825_b960691c-6966-4de4-a5c6-7695a130860b_1788885889261_277c6896-7a15-4e9c-b90b-a45b15dfebb6_15caccbd-65b3-4cf3-aad1-39c5ebfde4fe_9b5aa04d-121e-4d1a-b474-b65aea7b8c64.jpg)
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The people of the region are demanding the abolition of refugee seats in the territory’s legislature. Out of a total of 53 seats in the State legislature, 12 are allocated to Kashmiri refugees, and eight are reserved for women and technocrats. Interestingly, the refugees for whom the seats are reserved are residents of Pakistan, not PoK. Permitting them to vote erodes the distinction between the people of PoK and Pakistanis. The small size of the electorate spread over the entire expanse of Pakistan makes it easy to manipulate the results. An index of size is the fact that the total number of votes cast in the “refugee” seats representing Kashmir Valley ranged from 1,839 votes (LA 43) to 4,271 votes (LA 45). The results in these constituencies are essentially decided by the ruling party. They give Islamabad a captive block of up to 25% of seats in the PoK legislature with which to influence government formation. This ensures the happy outcome that the government in PoK is invariably formed by the party in power in Islamabad. This is what the protestors are agitating against. The victory of PML(N) in the recent elections has validated their apprehension.
Though the election was held in three stages, the outcome had become clear after the second stage, on August 2, itself. PML(N) gained a majority in the legislature by winning 23 out of 45 elected seats. The ruling party won by bagging 10 out of 12 refugee seats, while the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) got two seats. Since then, PML(N) has added to its victory margin by winning six out of the eight seats reserved for women, technocrats and overseas Pakistanis, while PPP got only two of these seats. There has been a tremendous surge in the PML(N)’s fortune in PoK since it came to power at the federal level. As against six seats in the last PoK assembly elections in 2021, PML(N) won 31 seats this time. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI), which won 31 seats last time, is banned and could not contest.
{{/usCountry}}Though the election was held in three stages, the outcome had become clear after the second stage, on August 2, itself. PML(N) gained a majority in the legislature by winning 23 out of 45 elected seats. The ruling party won by bagging 10 out of 12 refugee seats, while the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) got two seats. Since then, PML(N) has added to its victory margin by winning six out of the eight seats reserved for women, technocrats and overseas Pakistanis, while PPP got only two of these seats. There has been a tremendous surge in the PML(N)’s fortune in PoK since it came to power at the federal level. As against six seats in the last PoK assembly elections in 2021, PML(N) won 31 seats this time. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI), which won 31 seats last time, is banned and could not contest.
{{/usCountry}}There has been a complete eclipse of the fortunes of PoK-based regional parties. The territory is ruled by Pakistan’s mainstream parties such as the PPP, the PML(N), and the PTI. During the last elections, the regional parties had won just two seats. This time, they got none. Contrast this with the situation in Jammu & Kashmir (J&K), which has been ruled by either the J&K National Conference or the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for decades. There is no scope for Kashmiriyat in PoK.
There are a total of 4,64,000 “Kashmiri” refugees in Pakistan. Of these, only 30,000 are supposed to be from the Kashmir Valley, while 4,34,000 are from Jammu. PoK’s total population is 3.2 million. Thus, the Kashmiris living in Pakistan are less than 1% of PoK’s population. Their over- representation in the legislative assembly is to maintain the fiction that Pakistan, or PoK, represents the Kashmiri cause. It also distorts any democratic mandate for the region by giving the ruling party at the federal level undue advantage.
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Pakistan’s response to the protestors’ demands has been repeated firings. Defence minister Khwaja Asif said that the people of Mirpur and Rawalkot, where the agitation started, are not Kashmiris. Ironically, in the past, Pakistan has used Mirpuris to highlight its narrative on Kashmir. But when they raise their legitimate demand for democratic representation, Islamabad denies them even their identity. Khwaja Asif went further and described them as enemies of Pakistan, equating them with India.
The PoK Supreme Court said that the “reserved seats” are part of PoK’s Constitution. They cannot be abolished by political agitation or negotiation, and require a constitutional amendment. The catch is that under PoK’s Constitution, any amendment is subject to Pakistan’s veto. The people of PoK have reached a cul-de-sac.
PPP leader Bilawal Bhutto described the polls as “rigged, violent and bloody.” He was careful not to attack the system of refugee seats, which is part of the Interim Constitution Act of 1974 adopted under his grandfather, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Nawaz Sharif “nominated” Barrister Iftikhar Gilani as the next PM of the territory.
The decision has sparked controversy within his party itself as, earlier, Shah Ghulam Qadir — the party president in PoK — was nominated for the post by Nawaz Sharif. Besides, Gilani contested and lost the Muzaffarabad seat in the recent elections, and then made a back-door entry to the legislature by winning a reserved seat for technocrats. Why did the PML(N) leadership reverse its earlier decision?
There are obviously higher forces who decide. Meanwhile, the people of PoK continue to struggle for azaadi (freedom) from Pakistan’s control.
DP Srivastava is a former ambassador and the author of Forgotten Kashmir: The Other Side of the Line of Control. The views expressed are personal