How should India read the violence in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) or POJK (Pakistan Occupied Jammu & Kashmir)? An internet and media crackdown imposed by the authorities in Islamabad has curbed the flow of news from the embattled region.
Nevertheless, news and videos filtering out through social media show protesting crowds on the streets of Muzaffarabad, armed police and army in the streets, tear gas being fired and people being rushed to hospital.
Dinkar Srivastava, India’s former deputy consul general in Karachi in the early 1990s, and author of the book Forgotten Kashmir: The Other Side of the Line of Control argues that the region’s grievances are long-pending and redress appears unlikely given the manner in which Pakistan has ensured it retains the upper hand in POK.
“Arrangement built by Islamabad into Pok Constitution give Pakistan an extraordinary leverage over democratic processes,” he told SNG on The Gist programme.
“In the POK Assembly of the 53 elected seats a solid block of 20 seats are reserved, 12 for (Kashmiri) refugees and eight are reserved for women. Now the refugee seats are not refugees. These are so-called refugees spread all over Pakistan.”
Nor is there any direct nexus between the elected and the electors because they are dispersed. And so refugee seats are essentially in the control of the party in power in Islamabad. It has had odd results with people from Karachi entering the POK assembly through the refugee seats.
The people in the streets want this situation to change but the authorities say it requires a constitutional amendment. Power vests with the centre in Islamabad which has no interest in any change.
Locals are also upset over the lack of “regional representation”, meaning there are no local political parties. Any change in political colours in Islamabad sees a change in Muzaffarabad.
Add to that, water and power produced by the Mangla Dam in the region is sold to Punjab and other provinces at reportedly Rs 15 per unit. The same power is then “exported” to POK at Rs 50 per unit. Apparently this injustice is now being corrected.
Tune in for more in this conversation with Dinkar Srivastava, former diplomat and author of the book Forgotten Kashmir: The Other Side of the Line of Control.
