Daily Diary (DD) - Day 219 of 2025

1610hrs:

Relaxing at home with family but still working away with sporadic intensity.

....

A Journey from #Subject2Citizen 

From 2005 onwards....

This journey is essentially understanding and then executing #SelfDetermination , relying exclusively on equitably framed voluntary indigenous resources to do whatever is possible to create a genuinely free government in AJK, as clarified by international law. 

#FreeGovtAJK2025

Step 1:

#InclusiveGovernanceAJK

Every 'Riyasati' must answer the same question in order to prove inclusivity. 

#DirectDemocracyAJK

Inclusivity is the licence that produces a genuine #PublicMandateAJK2025

Step 2:

A mandate will open the opportunity to conduct a genuine #PublicAssemblyAJK2025

#PopularSovereigntyAJK

Step 3:

A clear set of individuals mandated by the public will identify appropriate lists pertaining to reward and punishment to seek public consensus on. In the context of the past 78 years of lawlessness, such conditioning is necessary to drive a genuine government. 

#AwaamiAdaalatAJK2025

This step will also organise relevant administrative, constitutional, social, economic and political reforms to this end. 

#RightsMovementAJK

Unable to balance rights and responsibilities is still a major weakness in our people. 

Step 4:

A smoothly running government from Day 1.

Warning:

Unity of goal = success, is not possible without accepting inclusivity of 'Riyasati', by pleading to the rest of the world, by siding with any 1 country or ideology or imagining that a single party will succeed in mobilising the masses for revolution. 

JKA PUBLIC AGENCY Note: #E152607082025

FB Link to above post:

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Daily Diary (DD) - Day 35 of 2025

0758hrs:

We are getting stronger and likewise more efficient in our approach. 

Here's a letter we have written on the LOC this morning, for the Jammu & Kashmir political and administrative fraternity on the other side of the LOC (Line of Control) or CFL (Cease Fire Line):

JKA PUBLIC AGENCY presents....

An internally created administrative framework for cross LOC (CFL) travel of the 'Riyasati' of Jammu Kashmir & Allied (areas) 

Dated: Tue 04 February 2025

Location of crossing route: 

Dhok (sub-village) Jalyari 

Moza (village) Lanjot

UC (union council) Dabsi

Tehsil (sub-division) Nikyaal

Zila (district) Kotli

Addressed to:

1) Shri Mian Altaf Ahmad Larvi

MP Lok Sabha for the Anantnag-Rajouri Constituency (JKNC) 

2) Shri Javed Ahmed Rana

Minister for Tribal Affairs and MLA Jammu & Kashmir Assembly for the Mendhar Constituency (JKNC) 

3) Shri Vikas Kundal (IAS)  

DC (Deputy Commissioner) Poonch

4) Shri Imran Rashid (JKAS) 

SDM (Sub-Divisional Magistrate) Mendhar

Dear fellow 'Riyasatis' and brothers in human kind

We at JKA PUBLIC AGENCY have for many years received written as well as verbal requests for assistance in reviving cross LOC travel for the former State subjects and current aspiring citizens of Jammu Kashmir & Allied (areas). 

Indeed, the very home in which I have been staying as a guest for the past 3 days is a home of a divided family, living in a divided village of the State viz. Lanjot, separated from their family living in the adjacent village of Gould (Gohld). 

My host climatologist Sikander Janjua son of Fateh Muhammad dearly wishes to visit his siblings and relatives to bereave the loss of his brother Muhammad Ismail Khan son of Fateh Muhammad, who died on the 29th of December 2024.

We at JKA PUBLIC AGENCY have strived for the past 2 decades to restore the fundamental rights of the people of this territory suspiciously described as Azad Jammu & Kashmir or AJK for short. 

Our methodology has always been strictly peaceful, ethical, legal and democratic in approach. It has also been recognised by various sources within the global academic and media community. 

A major term of reference is the concept of OBMs (Ownership-Building-Measures) which this writer first coined in an article (ironically) for a newspaper on your side of the divide, namely 'The Rising Kashmir' in April 2011. Less than a month later in May 2011, the concept of OBMs was referenced by a reputed academic of global stature in a UK parliamentary committee room conference and subsequently academically critiqued too. 

The aforementioned academic, the late Professor Richard Bonney has also had the perhaps unique privilege of interviewing both senior Indian and Pakistani military personnel in his exploration of opportunities for sustainable peace in this region. 

Reference:

https://tanveerandkashmir.blogspot.com/2011/04/from-cbms-to-obms.html

Returning to the here and now, we wish to exercise our right to freedom of movement as guaranteed by paragraph 12 of United Nations Security Council Resolution number 47 of the 21st of April 1948 and as guaranteed by other international conventions and agreements emerging from time to time over the decades since 1947.

We understand that there prevails an administrative lacuna in cross LOC travel since 2018. We do not consider it prudent to await the forming of better relations between India & Pakistan to revive such an immediate and basic human need to visit relations, to visit holy shrines and places of significance for 'Riyasatis' or even to conduct business for mutual economic upliftment.

 

Thus, we suggest and propose a fresh cross LOC travel framework to be agreed between your administration and ours via JKA PUBLIC AGENCY.

As a trial to ensure that the life, wealth and honour of all aspiring citizens of JKA are not adversely affected; we wish to travel as a contingent of 50 people from this side of the divide from Jalyari in village Lanjot to the tehsil of Mendhar in the coming weeks.

We would address all security concerns and administrative formalities on our part and would want to clarify what security concerns and administrative formalities your side would need. 

For further reference, the ongoing case of Zubair Bhatti who wishes to return to his ancestral home in village Gould tehsil Mendhar is also worth studying:

Reference:

https://tanveerandkashmir.blogspot.com/2024/11/daily-diary-dd-day-324-of-2024.html

Overall, it should be clear to the region in particular and the world in general, that the people of AJK - especially since 2023 - have become very organised in their demands for basic rights and maintain a peaceful posture to all concerned parties & entities. They have developed the art of mobilising very quickly and in very large numbers to obtain what is rightfully theirs, without the aide of any ideology or narrowing philosophy, or indeed infringing on the due rights of others. 

Communication and negotiations with a sincere intent to realise practical solutions for humanity has finally become our norm.

 

We look forward to your responses with keen anticipation. 

Regards

Tanveer Ahmed

Founder - JKA PUBLIC AGENCY

....

The letter above was subsequently sent via registered post from the UK, to each of the 4 recipients. Here's the related documentation:

Before sending

After sending

Proof of delivery

.... 

Daily Diary (DD) - Day 10 of 2025

1040hrs:

5 hours and 40 minutes later than intended. 

....

Dr Nazir Gilani is making most optimum use of his time and expertise for the nation of 'Kashmiris' in particular. It is one of the tragedies of this beautiful land that its people do not recognise merit among themselves. They seek unjustifiable strength from outside while repeatedly overlooking strength on the inside, between their own. In the case of the AJK Government, who needs a roadmap when its patrons and appeasers are content with swinging around a roundabout endlessly?

Actionable Roadmap on Kashmir

Honourable Prime Minister,

It is a surprise and a disappointment that, after 77 years, 2 months, and 17 days since the establishment of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), and 77 years and 10 days since the Kashmir issue was first raised at the United Nations (UN), we are still unable to produce a clear, actionable roadmap for the Kashmiri people's freedom.

This delay is not just an administrative failure; it is a profound injustice to those who have suffered for generations. Kashmir has lost a whole generation, and the impact of this deficit will have far-reaching consequences, particularly in the context of any future UN-supervised vote on self-determination. The region is not only dismembered but has also been stripped of its legislature, its special rights, and its dignity. India, a UN member, has blatantly violated its Charter obligations and the UN template on Kashmir.

On January 5, you called upon the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) to deliver a  “clear” and “actionable” roadmap for Kashmir’s freedom. While your intent is commendable, this request raises a series of urgent and critical questions that must be addressed now, rather than later.

1. Why Start From Scratch?

The AJK Government was established in October 1947, and the APHC has adhered to a constitutional discipline since 1993—aligned with the UN’s framework on Kashmir. Given this history, why are we still asking the APHC to come up with something new? Why hasn’t the AJK Government already produced a clear roadmap based on these established principles and historical momentum? We have frameworks, principles, and international support already in place—why are we failing to act on them?

2. Leveraging Existing Legal Frameworks

The AJK Government operates under the 1970 and 1974 Acts, which provide a strong legal foundation to address the Kashmir issue. These acts, combined with the UN’s resolutions, lay out a clear path forward. Why is the AJK Government not using these frameworks to advance the Kashmir cause immediately? Instead of asking the APHC to reinvent the wheel, shouldn’t the existing legal and constitutional mechanisms be fully utilized to advance our case on the global stage?

3. The 9-Point Formula of 2019

In May 2019, the President of AJK presented a 9-point formula to the OIC Contact Group on Kashmir in Jeddah. If it was duly debated and approved, what happened to it? Why is the APHC being tasked with coming up with something new in 2025. APHC has a constitutional roadmap.

4. India’s Violations: What Has Changed?

India, as a UN member state, has blatantly violated its obligations by revoking Kashmir’s special status on August 5, 2019, in direct contradiction to the spirit and letter of UN resolutions. Given this violation, why is the AJK Government now calling for a new “roadmap”? Shouldn’t the international community, led by the “AJK Government”, be holding India accountable for its unlawful actions, rather than reimagining the Kashmir cause from scratch?

5. The AJK Government's Role:

It is profoundly concerning that, after all these years, the AJK Government is still waiting for the APHC to create a roadmap. The responsibility for action has long been with the AJK Government. Why, after 77 years, is the government still not prepared to lead the charge? A coherent, well-thought-out strategy should have been in place decades ago, yet here we are asking the APHC to step in and fill the void. What specific actions will the AJK Government take to lead the struggle, to bring Kashmir’s case to the international stage, and to hold India accountable for its actions?

Conclusion:

Prime Minister, while your call for a “clear” and “actionable” roadmap is necessary, the reality is that we are far beyond the point where such a request should have been made. The roadmap should already exist, based on the frameworks and agreements that have been in place for decades. The 9-point formula of 2019, the UN resolutions, and the AJK Government’s own constitutional frameworks already provide the groundwork for a comprehensive, actionable strategy.

It is time for leadership, not procrastination. Kashmir’s cause deserves a strategy that reflects its historical and legal rights. It deserves a plan that holds India accountable for its violations of international law and reasserts the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination. We need a roadmap, but we already have the tools and frameworks to create it. The question is: when will we use them?

Dr. Syed Nazir Gilani

President JKCHR

10.01.2025

 

One may comment directly on Dr Nazir Gilani's post on Facebook here

....

We continue with our daily vlog via Facebook Live:

Our people have always been in search of short cuts to resolve an increasingly complex and entangled problem viz. restoring the people's #Right2Rule in #AJK > #JKA 

They will have to follow the right sequence viz. 

1) Securing a public mandate from over 95% of the voting population. 

2) Identify political representatives from each political constituency, while ensuring each constituency has an equally proportionate population. 

3) Fulfilling all technical (legal, constitutional, social, economic, security etc.) requirements. 

4) Operate a genuinely free government in AJK that can increase the economic livelihood opportunities of the people 100x over. 

Making or joining a political party are not sufficient to fulfill the above process, though their role in the second part of the sequence is crucial. 

#Conflict2Peace

#PublicPolicy

#PopularSovereignty

#1To100Economy

JKA PUBLIC AGENCY Note: #E235510012025

....

Daily Diary (DD) - Day 335 of 2024

2340hrs:

Coalescence of political parties and political characters in any given territory is a virtue. 

It is finally emerging in AJK, less from the people's own initiative and more due to the desperation Pakistan is showing to keep hold of the territory. 

....

Daily Diary (DD) - Day 298 of 2024

1125hrs:

Not quite first thing in the morning but we are getting closer to blogging at the start of the day rather than at the end. 

....

The date of the 24th of October is gaining significance in the pursuit of restoring the 'Right to Rule' of the people of AJK. The gap in what was written in that declaration and what ensued in the shape of the AJK Government set-up in Muzaffarabad is becoming increasingly obvious to activists throughout the territory. Hence, we are seeking written responses to our following video in order to generate an academic record on the subject, 'hashtagged' as #Citizen2StateContractAJK :

Here is how we have subsequently floated this subject:

(English)

An internal academic discourse: 

Towards an internal #Citizen2StateContractAJK 

to act as fundamental model for #PublicPolicyJKA , a pre-requisite to internally choreograph the future of #Jammu #Kashmir & #Allied (areas) or #JKA for short. 

I would plead with folded hands to all conscientious citizens of #AJK - irrespective of how they perceive this nomenclature - to concentrate on the direct democratic power in their hands to change the political fate of this territory and its people (their own co-citizens including their families, relatives, friends and tribespeople). 

The power to transform this territory from a conflict economy to a peace economy is in their hands and not in the hands of any neighbouring country or global power. 

This is a 78 year lesson most of us have yet to fully grasp. 

I would humbly repeat my plea with folded hands....

(staying in or around AJK un-interrupted for less than 6 months short of 2 decades - 19 years & 6 months - has had its personal costs but its public benefits from an independent action-oriented researcher's point of view and a student of statecraft are countless). 

...to listen/watch this c. 16 minute video and provide at least a 1 paragraph response to its suggestion:

to enter into a public dialogue between the entity that describes itself as 'The Government of AJK in the free part (territory) of the State of Jammu & Kashmir' and the 'Public of AJK', duly referenced in the 'Provisional Declaration' of the forbears of this 'Government' on the 24th of October 1947.

You can also optionally discuss the 4 questions raised about this 'Provisional Declaration' in the video. 

Your responses will contribute to an academic record under the hashtag #️⃣Citizen2StateContractAJK

References:

1) Citizen Public Opinion Survey - AJK 

(Question 5) 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8NvBPqFcnTVeXRmMjhhdmpjUDg/view

2) Provisional Declaration of 'Azad Government of Kashmir'

https://tanveerandkashmir.blogspot.com/2020/08/daily-diary-dd-day-218-of-2020.html?m=1

JKA PUBLIC AGENCY Note: #E135826102024

..

The note above was subsequently in turn translated into Urdu:

(Urdu)

ایک اندرونی علمی مکالمہ

 

آذاد جموں و کشمیر میں باشندہ اور ریاست کے مابین معاہدے کی طرف گامزن۔۔۔۔

 

ریاست جموں کشمیر و متحدہ علاقہ جات کا مستقبل میں قائم ہونا، اس معاہدہ عمرانی کے ساتھ مشروط ہے۔

 

میں آذاد جموں و کشمیر - اس نام سے جو مرضی مراد لیں - کے شہریوں سے ہاتھ جوڑ کر اپیل کروں گا  کہ اس خطے اور اس خطے میں مقیم عوام کے سیاسی مستقبل کو بچانے کے لئے براہ راست جمہوریت پر اپنی تمام تر توجہ مرکوز رکھیں (اپنے ہی شہریوں، اپنے اہل خانہ، رشتہ دار، دوستوں اور اپنے قبیلہ کے لئے)۔

 

اس خطے کو جنگی معشیت سے پر امن معشیت میں تبدیل کرنے کے لئے اس خطے کے عوام ہی بنیادی کردار ادا کر سکتے ہیں نا کہ پڑوسی ممالک یا بین الاقوامی قوتیں۔

 

یہ 78 سالہ سبق ہے جو ابھی تک ہمارے اکثر لوگ سمجھ نہیں پائے، میں ایک مرتبہ پھر ہاتھ جوڑ کر اپنے لوگوں سے اپیل کرتا ہوں۔

 

(آذاد جموں و کشمیر میں 19 سال اور چھے ماہ گزار چکے ہیں جس کا ہمیں ذاتی طور پہ تو نقصان اٹھانا پڑا لیکن عوامی مفاد میں بہت سے فوائد پیدا ہوئے ہیں ، کیونکہ اس خطے میں ہم نے غیر جانبدار اور تحقیق برائے عمل کی غرض سے بطور محقق کام کیا ہے اور یوں ہم اپنے تجربے کی روشنی میں کہہ سکتے ہیں عوامی مفاد میں جو فوائد حاصل ہوئے ہیں وہ بے پناہ ہیں)

 

16 منٹ کی اس ویڈیو کو دیکھیں اور کم از کم ایک پیرا گراف میں اپنی آراء سے نوازیں:

 

آزاد حکومت ریاست جموں و کشمیر نامی اس خطے میں قائم حکومت اور آزاد جموں و کشمیر کے عوام کے درمیان باہمی مکالمے کی شروعات کرنا جو کہ اس حکومت کے قائم ہونے کے وقت 24 اکتوبر 1947 کے ڈیکلریشن میں بھی واضح ہے۔

 

اس ویڈیو میں عبوری ڈیکلریشن پہ اٹھائے گئے چار سوالات پر بھی اپنا نکتہ نظر دے سکتے ہیں۔

 

آپ کی رائے اور تبصرہ ایک علمی ریکارڈ کا حصہ بنے گا درجے ذيل

ہشٹاگ سے:

#Citizen2StateContractAJK

 

حوالہ جات:

 

1- یہ دس سوال پہ مشتمل آذاد جموں و کشمیر کے شہریوں سے پوچھے گئے سوالات کا سروے تھا اور اس سروے کا سوال نمبر پانچ اس نوٹ کا حصہ ہے:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8NvBPqFcnTVS2phSkFJV2lJWmM/view

 

2- آزاد جموں و کشمیر کے قائم ہونے میں عبوری ڈیکلریشن اردو اور انگلش میں اس لنک میں موجود ہے:

https://tanveerandkashmir.blogspot.com/2020/08/daily-diary-dd-day-218-of-2020.html?m=1

 

جے کے اے پبلک ایجنسی نوٹ:

#U012003112024

..

Responses:

 

Daily Diary (DD) - Day 249 of 2024

2313hrs:

I haven't quite set out on my journey yet, though this 41st day of #Sehnsa2Sharda involved a lot of administrative work at home. 

Data organisation is becoming increasingly critical by the day. 

.... 

Our Sunday schedule on X Spaces will evolve once more:

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Daily Diary (DD) - Day 348 of 2023

1022hrs:

Surging ahead....

....

Some words I used in the following video clip were highly aggressive and could even be considered abusive if we had not put up with so much exploitation in the name of religion, on the part of Pakistan for 77 years:

Before considering publishing it, I did put the video to my co-citizens on a peer to peer network to ascertain their response. Here's the text of the request:

(English):

With all due respect, I hereby make a request to my friends, enemies and the rest of humanity who can understand Pahaari, to watch this video of 6 minutes and 50 seconds, which was captured in Jammu Square - Sehnsa on Thursday 14 December 2023....That they listen and give their opinion....Were the words I used correct or should I have used different words? I will not publish your response without your permission but in the coming days and weeks you will witness some major changes in AJK...Your opinion is important in public interest.

(Pahaari):

Dosto, dushmano aur deegar  insaaniyat jo Pahaari samjh sakti hay, se muadebana guzaarish hay ke wo is 6 minute 50 second ka video jo Jammu Chowk Sehnsa me liya gaya Jumaraat 14 December 2023 ko..ke wo sun kar apni rai dey...kya merey alfaaz drust they ya mujhe alfaaz mukhtalif istimaal karney chahiye they? Aap ki rai ko me publish nahi karoonga aap ki ijaazat ke beghair lekin aaney waaley dino aur hafto me aap ko kuch khaas tabdeeli nazar ayegi Azad Jammu Kashmir me....aap ki rai awaami mufaad ke liye ehem hay:

With permission, I will be publishing some of the responses in due course:

....

Many of my co-citizens have asked for a detailed step by step guide to filling out the forms for #AJKReferendum2023 . You will find all this necessary details in this FaceBook post :

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Daily Diary (DD) - Day 143 of 2023

0613hrs:

As the sun begins to rise over #Jammu city, a 93 year old freedom fighter of the old multicultural #Mirpur begins his day's duty in #Chamb .

Abdul Jabbar Butt is as sprightly as a 16 year old and an inspiration spanning 2 centuries.#AJKReferendum2023 - Day 1 #23052023 pic.twitter.com/xlPQigatue

— Tanveer Ahmed (@sahaafi) May 23, 2023

.... 

We also kicked off our account on TikTok and thus are beginning to engage the Chinese in our own inimitable way:

@ajkpublicagency As the sun begins to rise over #Jammu city, a 93 year old freedom fighter of the old multicultural #Mirpur begins his day's duty in #Chamb ♬ original sound - Tanveer Ahmed

....

Here's our paperwork for the referendum, which we have 'hashtagged' as #AJKReferendum2023

Exhibit 1 (Main Sheet):

Exhibit 2 (Supplementary Sheet):

Exhibit 3 (Background Notes Page 1 of 2 - English):

Exhibit 4 (Background Notes Page 2 of 2 - English):

Exhibit 5 (Background Notes Page 1 of 2 - Urdu):

Exhibit 6 (Background Notes Page 2 of 2 - Urdu):

While the above 6 exhibits are related to #AJKReferendum2023 and thus part of an internal political process, the following 2 exhibits are our proposed stance in relation to our neighbours India and Pakistan:

(They are also highly relevant for developing a political consensus between the divided parts of JKA viz. AJK, Gilgit Baltistan, Ladakh, the Kashmir Valley and Jammu)

 

Exhibit 7 (JKA Citizen's Charter - Snapshot Version - English):

Exhibit 8 (JKA Citizen's Charter - Snapshot Version - Urdu):

....

The afternoon in Bhimber, whilst returning back to Mirpur to drop our veteran activist:

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Daily Diary (DD) - Day 131 of 2023

2141hrs:

I didn't think I would be able to log a daily entry today, given the darkness present in our neighbourhood. We are paying heavily for Pakistan's crimes. The price is getting heavier by the day.

Our de jure status is that of an independent, neutral, sovereign State. We are needlessly dragged into every conflict in our midst, all of which are without merit.

The enslaved have the answers. 

#WaterManagement

#PublicPolicy

....

The territory of AJK and Gilgit Baltistan are stuck in a different century through little fault of their own.

We have been plunged into an internet lockdown since 0500hrs yesterday (over 40 hours and still counting - I've just used an 'alternative' means) because there is a tussle between a politician and the army next door in Pakistan.  

As much as we have our own security policy in AJK, we also have solutions for the internet as well as all other aspects of governance. 

....

Daily Diary (DD) - Day 102 of 2023

2348hrs:

It is not easy to explain concepts that have different meanings for different people. Especially in the most fiercely contested territory in the world.

....

The state of Maqbool Bhat Martyr's Square Dadyaal, about 2 weeks after the invasion by the local municipality (Baldiya):

....

Arang Kel is amongst the most stupendously beautiful villages of AJK. The Pakistani army is keen to take control of it and build tourist lodges under their own custody, to milk the tourist trade that is increasing year by year, to this hitherto almost hidden destination. 

The Pakistani army has been ransacking the buildings built by the locals and showing very aggressive intent to them. The locals are not taking this daylight robbery lightly and are resisting this with all their might. Support for them is also emerging from all parts of AJK:

 

....

Daily Diary (DD) - Day 313 of 2022

1735hrs:

Day 157 at Maqbool Bhat Shaheed Square - Dadyaal.

0755hrs

My punctuality deficit has decreased to 8 minutes.

Punctuality percentage: 94 days on time or early of 157 = 60% punctual.

....

As we rapidly approach the most unique of football world cups ever in its history, we can rue our absence there and also try to enjoy the spectacle that it always presents:

I felt it appropriate to submit a comment too:

I think this has been a well presented programme. All the flaws were zeroed in and the viewer is better able to understand the achievement of Qatar to bring the most global of events in human history to its shores. 

We (civil society & public agency) in AJK (the 'free' part of Jammu & Kashmir) were not in a position to think 12 years ahead in 2010. Some of us who could have linked up the dots between Switzerland (Home of FIFA) and Qatar, were only beginning to work on obtaining FIFA membership for AJK & Gilgit Baltistan, during the final of the 2018 World Cup. Croatia also inspired us further by doing so well as a small country. 

Alas, 4 years was not enough preparation to get AJK to take part in a global spectacle of unparalleled exposure. We are yet to receive a response from FIFA in Zurich.

The thought of 'soft power' did go through my mind while watching the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, from AJK. I was happy for Qatar to have achieved this milestone. Hosting global conflict resolution puzzles and facilitating a global media channel are also examples of successful accumulation of 'soft power'.    

We in AJK and the rest of JKA will keenly follow Qatar's achievements into the future.

End of Youtube comment....

(Update: 1621hrs 11/11/2022)

As is almost customary, the thought police of India and/or Pakistan will always try and address any mention of any part of Jammu Kashmir & Allied (areas) on any global forum. They will try and correct any information or analysis according to their own country's narrative. Such an example happened here too:

Someone describing themselves as 'Eternal Gamer' intervened yesterday (10/11/2022) as follows:

"As a part of Pakistan of course."

My response (MR henceforth):

@Eternal Gamer  

No, it is precisely these types of assumptions and assertions that have destroyed Pakistan. These are matters best left to the inhabitants of JKA, without external interference.

(He promptly responded (as if duty bound):

@Tanveer Ahmed  

first of all, you mentioned Gilgit Baltistan. The people of Gilgit Baltistan have always wanted to remain separate from Kashmir and the overwhelming majority supports integration with Pakistan.

Second, if you really are Kashmiri, then you are disrespecting your ancestors and the people of Kashmir who fought and were ready to give their lives to make Kashmir part of Pakistan. 

You're definitely better off than the Kashmiris on the other side of the border.

MR (I responded today):

@Eternal Gamer  

I didn't think this would be the appropriate forum to discuss such matters but since you've raised them I'll just make a couple of brief points in the hope that you will agree to disagree, rather than continuing to pursue or clarify your 'ownership' credentials at the cost of the people of this territory, who have an inherent right to represent themselves, rather than a neighbour forcibly trying to represent their views to the world. 

You make assertions about Gilgit Baltistan while denying them basic fundamental rights for 75 years - which no-one stopped you from giving them. You restrict their freedom of expression, movement, assembly, association and deny them recourse to law and then make fantastic statements about them wanting to remain separate from Kashmir and that an overwhelming majority supports integration with Pakistan, without as much as a rudimentary public opinion survey to back up that assertion. It's a bit like Pharoah claiming that the children of Israel want to fully integrate with Egypt while denying them all avenues to express themselves or seek redressal for crimes committed against them.

The point about disrespecting ancestors also sounds ridiculous for a number of reasons. Anybody who fights for their rights and sacrifices their life does not do so with the intention of surrendering those rights to someone else. You maybe confusing blind faith with their co-religionists thinking that they would be helpful neighbours into a ridiculous suggestion that they sacrificed their lives for Pakistan. Most of the people who have died or been killed since 1947 is either because they found themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time through no fault of their own (religious minorities forced to migrate or be killed to validate the British created 2 nation theory), people who reside on the LOC being killed by Indian and Pakistani bullets, people in the Valley of Kashmir being killed for either being lured by Indian or Pakistani money and arms particularly in the late 1980's/1990's. The list is endless.

Finally, we may be better off than people on the other side of the border but Pakistan cannot take credit for that. Quite the contrary. Indian and Pakistani money and arms were used on the other side while no such intrigue took place on that scale on this side. An Indian wrong does not necessarily make a Pakistani right. The Pakistanis have foolishly tried to live off the misery of others thinking that it creates a groundswell of opinion in its own favour. Most of the world can see through you. Pakistan has closed our gateway to the world while it extracts resources mercilessly from our territory, forcing our people to migrate to all parts of the world for their livelihood. The conditions here are better because of our diaspora - whose foreign remittances enable Pakistan to continue surviving despite it being an economic debacle - and the Pakistanis know full well that if they try and repress our people like the Indians do, then it won't be long before they are kicked out of here. Pakistan does not have the diplomatic or economic clout of India to ride such tribulations.

As mentioned at the outset, I do not wish to continue using this platform to discuss matters that have nothing to do with it. You have made your points and I have made mine. Try and find me on an alternative platform if you're keen to continue the discussion. Try and represent yourself rather than others. Every human being is capable of representing themselves. Try to understand that.

 

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Daily Diary (DD) - Day 211 of 2022

1233hrs:

Day 55 at Maqbool Bhat Shaheed Square - Dadyaal.

0750hrs

My punctuality deficit has decreased to 523 minutes.

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We have a citation of the Citizen Public Opinion Survey - conducted throughout AJK between 2011 and 2016 - in an Indonesian academic journal:

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The following is a public demonstration at Zero Point Mohra Chowk (Square) in Nikyaal. The major thrust here as with practically all other public rallies, demonstrations and sit-in protests throughout AJK centre around anger over Pakistan's attempt to annex this territory a la Indian action on 5th August 2019. Nevertheless, undercurrents of such action include protests against; expensive electricity, expensive flour, inflation, the dilapidated condition of Mohra Road in Nikyaal, other issues of public interest and against the unjustified imprisonment of political activists in Poonch. 

They've also described this as a 'street and sector protest campaign', meaning that they are taking these protests to the people. Leading from the front is Advocate Shah Nawaz Sher, who is amongst the most active as well as most creative activists in AJK: 

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JKNAP and their student wing JKNSF is also active in Muzaffarabad. Indeed, most of their co-workers (or party members) are under arrest:

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Daily Diary (DD) - Day 203 of 2022

0745hrs:

Day 47 at Maqbool Bhat Shaheed Square - Dadyaal.

0758hrs

My punctuality deficit has decreased to 391 minutes.

At 1000hrs, we proceeded to walk to Amb where an entourage of vehicles were waiting to take us to Tithrinote for JKLF's 'Azadi Dharna' on the LOC.

 

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AJK wide the 'Right to Rule' concept of citizenship is being bellowed out - very visibly and audibly - by it's inhabitants (former subjects of 'Dogra Raaj' and aspiring citizens of 'Awaami Raaj). The following from Mirpur is a visible example:

This is the Pakistan's Kashmir.

Mirpur's Shaheed Chowk echoed with loud slogans of "Kashmir will become independent " in a protest by locals against the excessive power outages and the cruel tax imposed by electricity department.@HamidMirPAK @sahaafi @UsmanTariqUSK pic.twitter.com/UVvW4mMyXo

— Zaara (@zaara_kashmiri) July 22, 2022

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The day from Dadyaal to Tithrinote where JKLF's huge Azadi Dharna is now in full swing:

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Daily Diary (DD) - Day 33 of 2022

0742hrs:

Day 14 at Martyr's Square - Kotli - AJK

Matters are taking shape...but very very slowly. 

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'Letter 1 to the Government of the United Kingdom' has been published and sent out in word format (with hyperlinks for reference and detailed insight). Here are its contents:

Letter 1 to the Government of the United Kingdom

 

Date: 02/02/2022

Our reference: TA000001/AJKUKJKA/02022022/SGEC0001

Sent by Tanveer Ahmed Rafique via:

1)  francis.steer@parliament.uk (Assistant to Sarah Owen MP for Luton North)

2)  sarah.owen.mp@parliament.uk (MP for Luton North)

3)  james.belmonte2@fcdo.gov.uk (Assistant to Helene Girling - Team leader for Asia Pacific region)

4)  helene.girling@fcdo.gov.uk (Team leader for Asia Pacific region)

5)  abrahamsd@parliament.uk (Debbie Abrahams MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth – Also Chair & Registered Contact for All Parties Parliamentary Group on Kashmir

6)  A number of other MPs have been copied into this evolving dialogue with the UK government through their own constituents. Details will also be published once we have achieved the target of 100 MPs out of 650.

I have been preparing this letter for the past month and simply have too much documentation to share for a meaningful result oriented dialogue to emerge, so that we can come to some form of peaceful and ethical agreement about our respective legal and democratic responsibilities.

This dialogue has to be in phases as documenting a summary of 16 years, 10 months - and counting - of uninterrupted action-oriented research, is just not possible in one written exchange. I am wary that if I send you too much documentation in one go, it could take months or even a year to comprehensively go through it. I would suggest that I confine my correspondence to two pages at a time. Wait for your response and then follow that up with the next two pages of correspondence, particularly identifying those points on which we may differ.

Our position:

Enabling the world to understand the concept, need and utility of a geo-politically neutral territory named Jammu Kashmir & Allied areas (JKA for short and adopted henceforth) which includes Gilgit Baltistan, Ladakh and possibly other adjacent/contiguous areas for inclusivity; subject to the local public reference and an inbuilt/unconditional ‘right of secession’ from the outset. Water, soil, waste and human/land data management/autocratic to democratic constitutionalism/economic and digital connectivity with accountability/revival of Sharda University along with mandirs and gurdwaras throughout AJK, are our prime public policy goals. 

We will discuss sovereignty and the public reference (proving legally that veto power over the future sovereign status of the territory of JKA can only be exercised by those who qualify as State subjects (according to the original document of 20/04/1927). Any aspiring subject to citizen of JKA can disagree on the above legal interpretation and I would also be keen to obtain feedback from anybody in the world.

In the meantime, we pursue our search for authentic documents as to how this territory was governed since 1820. This also compels us to examine the implications of the emergence of British suzerainty in this region. We are confident that our neutrality will help us revive those routes and traditions that the ‘Great Games’ of the past few centuries have deprived us of.

The UK Government’s position:

“Our longstanding position is that it is for India and Pakistan to find a lasting political resolution on Kashmir, taking into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people.”

Source: Any number of responses to questions on ‘Kashmir’ in the UK parliament

We wish to scrutinise the above sentence in due course and explain in abundance why it does not qualify as a realistic prescription and why – amongst other factors - it does not take into account the UK government’s share of responsibility, particular with reference to how this issue emerged in 1947, amidst the transfer of power proceedings, pre and post August 1947. 

It should be clear that I do not politically represent the people of JKA or even AJK but have worked on the next best practical alternative to a referendum, to the extent of AJK. Thus, I have the most comprehensive data on public opinion in AJK and given that our political representatives surrender their own rights before the Pakistani government (which is not accountable to anybody in this region), it would be difficult to convince any right minded person that the local politicians here reflect the concerns and aspirations of the people they represent, especially in matters of legislation. The Public Assembly - AJK is an evolved democratic outcome in response to these conditions.

We also remain strictly committed to the globally recognised adage that “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

Summary of Public Opinion Survey - AJK …………………………referenced by New York Times and BBC

The above will begin to give the reader an idea of how much distress, agony, torture and persecution one has to undergo in this territory: to collect genuine public opinion and agitate peacefully and creatively for universally recognised fundamental rights, based on that opinion.

Detailed reports on each major intervention by occupying forces to strangle locally designed and executed Ownership Building Measures can be accessed via the following hyperlinks:

2008 - Islamabad and Rawalpindi Pakistan                           2011 - Smaahni in Bhimber AJK                                  

2013 - Khuiratta in Kotli AJK              2015 - Chakothi in (Hattian Bala) Jhelum Valley AJK

2015 - Leepa in Jhelum Valley AJK            2016 - Chinari and Hattian in Jhelum Valley AJK

2016 - Dheerkot in Bagh AJK                                               2016 - Abbaspur in Poonch AJK         

2019 - Sharda in Neelam Valley AJK                      2019 - Laal Chowk in Muzaffarabad AJK

2020 - Dadyaal in Mirpur AJK                                                         2021 - Updated Overview

 

It would also be useful to take a look at the following comparisons by Washington-based Freedom House:

Country/Territory	Political Rights	Civil Liberties
United Kingdom	39/40	54/60
India	34/40	33/60
Indian-controlled JKA	7/40	20/60
Pakistan	15/40	22/60
Pakistani-controlled JKA	9/40	19/60

 

Source: Freedom in the world – Country reports 2021 - freedomhouse.org

End of 'Letter 1 to the Government of the United Kingdom' 

Index reference: Page 1 and 2 of 2 TA000001/AJKUKJKA/02022022/SGEC0001

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