Mumtaz Khan executive Director of ICFPD has expressed serious concerns over the allegations of rigging in recent elections advanced by the all Pakistani political leaders that has endorsed longstanding claims about the interference of Pakistan’s successive governments in its controlled Kashmir by local leadership. He said that open intervention by Pakistan PM and his functionaries in so-called Azad Kashmir and using state machinery and all unfair means that includes: bogus polling; distribution of money in different forms or in the name of Benazir income support program; use of Pakistani Bureaucrats occupy top positions in Muzaffarabad; and secret agencies role has rendered these elections invalid and illegal. Elections’ rigging is common practice in Pakistan controlled Kashmir where misuse of government machinery is always exercised to ensure victory of Islamabad’s supported party, which has been repeated this time too.

It is unfortunate to learn that over the years Islamabad’s rulers modus operandi of imposing their will on Muzaffarabad by using all state’s machinery has neither changed nor showing any intention to improve the governance mechanism in its controlled Kashmir.  Theoretically, Pakistan harping on UN resolutions and Kashmiri aspirations but people of AJK hardly finds no space in this rhetoric when examine Islamabad’s stringent control and flawed electoral process there. It further anguishes to note that trappings of sovereign state are not meant to allowing Muzaffarabad minimal political autonomy except for international eyewash. The flawed electoral process and Constitutional restraints are arbitrarily and frequently employed by Islamabad to marginalize the opponent schools of opinion from electoral process and government making. The Act of 1974 is widely deemed to be serious impediment in free democratic choice, which was drafted by then Pakistan’s Law minister, and imposed through PPP’s outfit in its controlled part. Kashmir Council is another brainchild of Islamabad’s rulers’, which is a supra-body in AJK affairs; that has reduced the status of so-called Legislative Assembly to local bodies and rendered it non-entity into governance matters since it controls 52 subjects out 56 and enjoys numerical superiority over Kashmiri representation.

Mumtaz Khan said that in order to address the longstanding grievances caused by misrule and multiple-layers of Islamabad’s control requires immediate attention to end its hegemonic which is maintained: through its lent officers; intelligence agencies; minster for Kashmir affairs; and by extension of their outfits in Pakistan controlled Kashmir. And it is inconsistent to Pakistan’s constitution, political stance and UN resolutions. If Islamabad does not allow its political parties to extend their outfits in FATA, which is a constitutional part of Pakistan, what justification it can advance to dominate its controlled Kashmir through Pakistani parties outfits?  The elections irregularities and flaws were further confirmed and validated when conceded by election Commissioner of AJK that will question the legitimacy and validity of future government and will be undemocratic and unconstitutional. M.Mumtaz Khan
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