FO warns British diaspora against interference in Pakistan, AJK affairs amid unrest

The Foreign Office (FO) on Monday rejected what it called “irresponsible and ill-informed insinuations” made by certain members of the diaspora in the United Kingdom about Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) amid unrest in the territory.

The statement comes in the wake of deadly clashes in AJK’s Rawalakot, where the recently banned Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) had been staging a sit-in in front of CMH hospital Rawalakot. AJK Police allege that armed JAAC members opened fire on law enforcement forces deployed in a planned attack, leaving four personnel dead and around 20 injured. JAAC, however, disputes this version, stating that security forces used tear gas and fired projectiles towards the hospital.

The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Kashmir in the British Parliament on Saturday wrote a letter to the Foreign Secretary signed by 31 lawmakers, expressing concern over the issue and urging intervention. Meanwhile, overseas Pakistanis and Kashmiris have also criticized the ongoing developments.

In a strongly worded statement issued today, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said these diaspora individuals were advised to refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of Pakistan and AJK, adding that they would “do well to contribute positively to their country of residence.”

The statement also highlighted “unwarranted comments and questions” raised by certain British MPs, saying they reflected “a lack of awareness and disregard for the historical background of the issue”.

He added: “For those still living in the colonial era, it is worth reiterating that Pakistan is a sovereign and democratic republic that firmly believes in non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries and expects the same from others.”

The FO said the governments of Pakistan and AJK “fully recognize and respect the constitutional rights of citizens to peaceful assembly, freedom of expression and democratic participation.”

However, he stressed that “vandalism, destruction of public services, including hospitals, and the killing of innocent civilians and law enforcement officials cannot be allowed under any circumstances.”

Furthermore, he urged the British government to “educate and warn those who support proscribed organizations to refrain from such actions” and to respect “the democratic process, judicial decisions and the rule of law enshrined in the Constitutions of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan.”

Read: AJK police say 3 JAAC members killed in clashes in Rawalakot, several injured

According to the AJK police, three people linked to the JAAC and four law enforcement officials were killed during the protests on Sunday. JAAC, however, said in a statement on

Sunday’s clash came as the AJK government and JAAC witnessed a clash as the AJK election date was announced for July 27.

AJK’s 53-member legislative assembly includes 12 seats reserved for Kashmiri refugees, people who fled Indian-controlled Kashmir in 1947 and 1965 and are now scattered across Pakistan. Six seats represent refugees from the Jammu division (~434,000 people) and six from the Kashmir Valley (~30,000 people), an already imbalanced arrangement that many consider unfair.

The region witnessed one of its most turbulent periods in October last year, when protests led by the JAAC broke out over demands for constitutional and governance reforms. At least nine people, including three police officers, died during the riots.

The JAAC, which organized the protests and strike, had put forward a wide-ranging charter of demands, including an end to the privileges enjoyed by the ruling elite, the abolition of 12 assembly seats reserved for refugees, and the elimination of the quota system.

Two days after the violence, the government and the JAAC reached an agreement covering 12 basic and 13 additional points. Under the agreement, both sides agreed to constitute a high-level committee to examine the issue of refugee seats in the AJK Legislative Assembly.

Read more: Four police officers martyred, more than 20 injured in Rawalakot shooting: AJK police

The unrest also sparked political unrest in the region. The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) subsequently moved a no-confidence resolution against then Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq, and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) joined the effort. Haq, who had been elected in April 2023 with 48 votes, preferred to face the vote rather than resign.

On 17 November, Raja Faisal Mumtaz Rathore secured 36 votes in the elections and became the 16th chief minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

With elections approaching and the issue of refugee seats still unresolved, the AJK government called an All Parties Conference (APC) in Muzaffarabad to build consensus. Almost all major parties attended, except the PTI and JAAC, which boycotted it.

The JAAC’s position is that the government had already rejected its written proposals submitted on May 30, so attending would be futile. He had proposed maintaining symbolic representation of refugees until the Kashmir dispute is permanently resolved, or replacing the 12 assembly seats with 4 seats in the AJK Council, a body chaired by the Prime Minister, which he claimed would better preserve the political dimension of the Kashmir cause.

The APC rejected any changes outside the constitutional and legislative framework, saying only the elected assembly could alter the seating arrangement for refugees. The JAAC called the resolution “a page and a half of absolutely trivial lines” and accused participants of coming together to serve their own interests and not those of the public.

The JAAC called for a large protest for June 9 in Muzaffarabad, with caravans converging from across the region.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry on Sunday rejected claims that the agreement with JAAC had not been implemented and said the government had fulfilled the vast majority of its commitments in AJK.

The minister warned against attempts to create unrest in AJK and questioned whether such actions served the interests of Pakistan, AJK or the broader cause of Kashmir. “The solution to these problems is not violence,” he said, adding: “The solution is dialogue. We cannot allow law and order to deteriorate or innocent lives to be lost.”