New Delhi – The latest protests in Pakistan‑Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (POJK) show how Islamabad still runs the region, even though it calls the area “free.”
Security forces have moved in, the line of contact and communications have been cut, and a Pakistani delegation has gone to negotiate on the ground. All of this highlights one thing: Islamabad controls every major decision.
Despite saying POJK has its own constitution, legislature, president, prime minister, courts and ministries, real power – and most of the money – stays with Pakistan’s federal government.
The POJK Legislative Assembly has 53 seats: 45 general, 8 reserved (five for women, one for a technocrat, one for an ulema, and one for citizens abroad). Of the 45 general seats, 12 are for “refugees from Jammu & Kashmir.” Those seats are not for people living inside POJK; they are for people registered in Pakistan’s provinces.
Last week the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) led massive protests across the region. In a 38‑point charter, they demanded the removal of the refugee seats, abolition of elite perks, and more local control over resources. The protests also called for subsidies to help families buy basics like power and flour amid rising prices.
When Islamabad pays those subsidies, it keeps the money in its own accounts. Hydropower projects – such as the Mangla Dam on the Jhelum River – are managed by Pakistan and deliver only limited benefits to POJK residents. The dam is one of Pakistan’s largest and supplies irrigation and electricity, but locals gain little.
Political parties in POJK are largely extensions of Pakistan’s national parties: PTI, PML‑N, and PPP. Even high‑level appointments – chief secretary, senior bureaucrats – come from Pakistan’s federal or provincial civil services and require Islamabad’s approval. The Ministry of Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit‑Baltistan serves as the formal link between Islamabad and POJK, stepping in on policy and negotiations.
When a local prime minister was dismissed, Islamabad intervened. The recent talks were run by a delegation sent by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, not by a locally elected government. The resulting agreement was announced by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry.
Adding words like “free” to the name of a region that Pakistan controls does not make it independent. Pakistan still has the decisive say on almost every aspect of life in POJK, leaving its residents at Islamabad’s mercy while maintaining a façade of autonomy. The protests show that the people of POJK want real control and a return of seats and services to those who live there.
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