Daily Diary (DD) - Day 215 of 2026

0436hrs:

For the past week or so - with a rising level of intensity - I have sensed that I need to now communicate with the world (and especially the UK, both government and people) on a daily basis, as opposed to the week long (and even longer) gaps exercised to date, since this idiotic conflict was imposed on us on the 5th of June 2026.

More so than writing, I sense the need to communicate via video podcast in English on a daily basis. 

If we continue to fail in bringing this conflict to its natural end, I will contemplate engaging with the world (especially the UK) on an hourly basis in due course. Just in this past week (we have entered Day 60 today) we have witnessed over 50 deaths imposed on our people. 

This killing spree is eerily almost representative of all 10 districts of AJK. We've suffered direct & targeted shooting of peaceful protestors by Pakistani Rangers in Rawalakot (Poonch), Mirpur, Kotli, Muzaffarabad & Neelam Valley; while those killed in Rawalakot on the 27th of July include victims from almost every district. 

....

Daily Diary (DD) - Day 316 of 2025

1408hrs:

Countdown to end of 2025: 50 days

Despite getting to bed last night at 2100hrs (9pm) and falling asleep before 2200hrs, I couldn't get up before 1000hrs this morning. This has probably been my longest sleep at Maqbool Bhat Martyr's Square over these past 26 days of camping out at the square.

I will try again tomorrow.

.... 

One has to share the pain of a woman in Gilgit Baltistan, whose husband was shot in front of her. I knew her husband, he was an activist extra-ordinaire who worked long and hard for his people. He had visited me at my home in Sehnsa along with Nawaz Khan Naji, way back in 2013. 

To: The Honourable DIG, Government of Pakistan, Gilgit

Respected Sir,

I, Nashat Parveen, widow of the late Javed Qureshi, respectfully request that you arrest my husband’s killers as soon as possible and ensure they are punished according to the law. My husband was martyred in Tangir in front of me and our children, yet the police have still not arrested the perpetrators.

I am a woman — how long must I keep wandering from door to door? Are the poor, weak and helpless to be denied justice in this Islamic democratic society? To whom should I appeal? Will we not be held accountable before Allah? I am suffering greatly; please have mercy on my innocent children. The killers are roaming freely and without fear, yet they have not been apprehended.

I have just been informed that they are hiding in their home, in a wheat store, in Tangir. I beg you, by Allah, to take action: please arrest them and ensure they receive the punishment they deserve.

We will remain forever grateful and will pray for you.

Yours faithfully,

Nashat Parveen

Widow of Javed Qureshi

Gilgit.

....

 

From time to time, I will continue to feature snippets (or more) of conversations from other forums, just to give our readers an idea of where the battle of ideas is stuck at, in the few thinkers in AJK. Here is a part of what Yasin Anjum is writing in reference to upcoming elections in AJK (which I am vociferously against): 

البتہ انتظار نہیں۔۔ آنے والے الیکشن کیلئے مکمل سیاسی، معاشی ترقی کا پروگرام مرتب کرنا ھے

۔۔

The following was my response in Roman Urdu:

Aap aaney waaley election ka kyou intezaar kar rahey hain? Awaam ki power wazay hay, yaha ke nizaam ki nakaami bhi. Aap log itni choot kyou detey ho nizaam ko? 

Ghaaliban Pakistan se aye huwey federal team jis ne JAAC ke saath muzaakaraat kiye....unho ne bhi aap ke awaami numaindey (yani JAAC ki 3 rukni team) se poocha ke aap ke paas koi mutabaadil hay?

Ghaaliban un ka jawaab 'na' me tha.

۔۔

Saajid Hussain of Palandri put forward the following explanation:

ہم سب مستقبل کی اچھی خواہشات دل میں بسائے زندہ ہیں ان پر عملی کام کہیں نہیں ہو رہا۔ زبانی زبانی انقلاب لائیں گئے ۔

۔۔

In turn, I reminded everybody of my ultimatum:

Aap sab ke paas sirf 50 din bachtey hain. Apni soch aur strategy badal ne ka. Andar dekho, baahir nahi. Jo taaqat darkaar hay, wo yahi pe hay.

....

At the conclusion of a district meeting of the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) at Kotli today, their core committee member Imtiaz Aslam made it clear that their demands were not being met, in reference to the 4th of October 2025 Agreement with Pakistan's representatives:

The video above can also be accessed here.

....

Daily Diary (DD) - Day 254 of 2025

1113hrs:

Have returned to Kotli courts today after a week of absence. Since the 19th of June 2021 when we were released on bail (on appeal of our sentence in the famous Pakistani flag case in Maqbool Bhat Shaheed Square reference 21 August 2020) and today we attended our appeal date for the first time since being released. The case was immediately adjourned to the 14th of October 2025 (next month).

There is another case on our back. This time based on a complaint by my paternal uncle. The details of the case have been logged on the 29th of July 2025 and duly responded to on that date. However, as the inhumane system we live in does not like formal written communication - seeing it as an impediment to their endemically corrupt practices - they've not responded to my written communication and instead have sent me another summons yesterday, threatening to issue a warrant if I don't attend. Here's the summons:

I will be discussing this matter with the Deputy Commissioner shortly. Let's see what he has to say. I will of course keep you all posted.

....       

(Update: 1400hrs at DC Office)

I've just had a reasonably thorough discussion with the DC (Kotli) Nasir Rafiq of Tain in Poonch. We have very different views on what constitutes legality and what doesn't. In any case, he has taken the written letter that I sent to the Tehsildar on the 29th of July 2025 as referenced with a hyperlink above. Here's a receipt from his office confirming that he has received it:

 ....

Daily Diary (DD) - Day 247 of 2025

0309hrs:

Back at home after a 2 day excursion. So, this time has to be the time to share thoughts that are for public consumption. 

We are entering the last few laps of a very long marathon and we will pick up speed as required at this stage.

Today is also Day 2 of Awaami Adaalat - District Kotli. A daily photo will also feature in due course. 

....

Here's another example of pro bono assistance to my co-citizens as they attempt to communicate with the outside world:

....

Daily Diary (DD) - Day 246 of 2025

0311hrs:

This will have to be a regular time as if dear life itself depended on it, with now only 120 days to go in what should go down as a bullish year.

....

I witnessed a very concerning level of rain yesterday evening while driving from Nikyaal to Kotli. We must respect nature like never before. Foreign militaries of all colours should take note too.

....

The 3rd of September Public Statement 

(to the people of AJK in particular and JKA in general)

As a patriot of my motherland (Dharti Maa) I've worked pro bono (voluntarily conducted independent action-oriented public policy research in public interest - free of charge by devoting an average of 16 hours a day) for over 2 decades, for and with my fellow co-citizens, who are all equally entitled to determine their own future, as referenced by international law.

Even at this stage, over 99% of our population (inheritors of the hitherto autocratic State of Jammu & Kashmir pre 1947) are yet to understand the value of independent research: as witnessed by this devoted, focussed, un-interrupted and un-compromising patriot.

If this matter is not addressed by this referenced and documented population - in these 120 days before the end of this bullish year of 2025 - it will most likely be too late to address it ever again - given the practical barriers to self-determination - structured with the complicit approval of the 'international community' as many among this population perceive.       

It will also terminate this voluntary contract as a fellow Owner (Maalik) & Inheritor (Waaris) of the territory that 'I' (Tanveer Ahmed s/o Khan Muhammad Rafique) has operated in as 'we' - to fulfil conditions of public interest - in the shape of JKA PUBLIC AGENCY, have inclusively revised as Jammu Kashmir & Allied (areas) or JKA for short.   

#PopularSovereignty

#DirectDemocracy

JKA PUBLIC AGENCY Note: #E212803092025

....

Daily Diary (DD) - Day 229 of 2025

2144hrs:

Woke up in Dadyaal after not much sleep there. A lot of adrenaline prevented me from doing so. I spent a lot of important years in that very accommodating city. 

I also caught a few hours in Kotli. 

....

Earlier this morning I completed a draft letter for diplomats, in reference to the plight of Yasin Malik, upon the request of a co-citizen. Here it is:

Your Excellencies, 

Memorandum

In the background of a Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) led armed struggle for independence and reunification of the territory of Jammu & Kashmir since 1988, the subsequently imprisoned chairman of the JKLF Yasin Malik, publicly renounced violence as a means of resolving political conflict in 1994.

This strategic step towards non violence was not only welcomed in India but was also encouraged by the ‘International Community’ in general, led by Britain and the United States of America (USA) in particular. Successive Indian governments since 1994 had regularly given a prominent audience to Yasin Malik and others who had adopted peaceful means of struggle for their political objectives. British and American diplomats had frequently praised this stance and repeatedly gave some assurance of a move towards resolution in such an environment. Facilitating Yasin Malik to address Harvard University and the US State Department became examples of this encouragement towards a peaceful resolution.     

Conditions and opportunities for sustained dialogue continued till the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led by Narendra Modi came into power in 2014. The various “gentleman’s agreements” lost substance as the aforementioned government began cracking down hard on what they identified as “Kashmiri Separatists” and all possibilities of continuing dialogue gradually evaporated. Post 2018 many a political activist was indefinitely incarcerated - including Yasin Malik - and this process was intensified upon revocation of what remained of a “Special Status” of Indian Administered Jammu & Kashmir on August the 5th 2019, whereby it is reported that over 4,000 citizens of the Kashmir Valley remain imprisoned, including human rights defenders and journalists simply documenting these changes. 

In due course, the BJP led government disregarded all previous attempts at securing peace through peaceful means and re-opened over 3 decades old cases against Yasin Malik and others, sentencing the latter to life imprisonment. 

Of late, India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) has requested the Indian judiciary to convert Yasin Malik’s life sentence into the death penalty.

It is our informed opinion that if indeed Yasin Malik is hanged (like his leader Maqbool Bhat), hardliners within the freedom movement will revive what they would consider to be a dormant militant policy, abandoned since 1994. This would lead to the loss of yet another generation to violence and the world should do whatever is possible to avert repeating such a tragic scenario.    

We thus appeal to the world’s conscience through their respective governments and other multilateral forums to utilise their good offices, to urge the prevailing government in India to return to a framework of peaceful dialogue and to help create a conducive environment for such.

An iron-hand policy may fulfil temporary objectives and present favourable optics in the short term but as some Indian policy analysts have admitted, every power has to ultimately return to dialogue to achieve a sustainable solution. 

By releasing Yasin Malik and other political prisoners who originate from the conflict ridden Kashmir Valley, that conducive environment for result oriented dialogue may be revived.

..

End of draft....

....

One can listen to the interview here:

https://t.co/JcX0yCl98S

— JKA PUBLIC AGENCY (@jkapublicagency) August 17, 2025

....

Daily Diary (DD) - Day 224 of 2025

1246hrs:

In Kotli today, still preparing to permanently structure our 'Awaami Adaalat' in the main district complex where the administration, judiciary and other government departments operate from.

....

Daily Diary (DD) - Day 217 of 2025

1137hrs:

Waking up in Sarda. 

Every little victory accumulates over the years and decades, eventually generating a compound effect. 

The question is: 

Has that compound effect arrived yet? 

....

Daily Diary (DD) - Day 216 of 2025

1011hrs:

I'm the first of 3 hunger strikers to reach the district courts complex today. The imprisoned Ayaz Butt and Zubair Bhatti are still in hospital. 

We are expecting a good crowd of co-citizens to come and witness the proceedings which have been pending since the 15th of June, marking 50 days of unwarranted detention. 

....

Daily Diary (DD) - Day 215 of 2025

0804hrs:

We are now into our 6th day of an indefinite hunger strike to ensure Pakistan's clandestine agencies stop enjoying a free-for-all in our territory. 

This is taking a lot out of us 3 people but it is a deposit of goodwill and determination for our nation. 

....

English translation:

On Monday the 4th of August (tomorrow) is the court hearing of the innocent prisoner Ayaz Butt. All dignified inhabitants of district Kotli are invited to arrive at the courts (complex) in Kotli at 9am.

End of translation..

....   

Daily Diary (DD) - Day 214 of 2025

0805hrs:

Recovering in hospital though our hunger strike continues into its 5th day. Yes, we are being injected with distilled water since being rushed into district headquarters hospital Kotli but all 3 of us (Ayaz Butt, Zubair Bhatti and myself) continue to refrain from eating or drinking anything; until Ayaz Butt is released unconditionally and rather than the dummy government taking a bond of assurity from political prisoners, rather that the dummy government should provide us - the public of AJK - an assurity that they will not target public activists ever again.

....

Our hunger strike which continues into its 5th day is apparently of no use but we #AyazButt #ZubairBhatti & myself #TanveerAhmed continue to refrain from eating and drinking, though we are being injected with distilled water every few hours to counter the severe dehydration we have suffered from since Tuesday the 29th of July. 

The system doesn't really care if we die and we hope our people - whose dignity we are fighting for - do care. If you do, please peacefully lock the system down until it relents and conforms to unconditionally #Release_Ayaz_Butt . 

#GoHawaldaarGo

#MonitoringClandestineAgencies

JKA PUBLIC AGENCY Note: #E111902082025

The above note has also been posted on FaceBook and can be accessed here.

….

Daily Diary (DD) - Day 213 of 2025

2112hrs:

Writing from my hospital bed....the system of governance here in AJK - if we can call it that - is in its last throes. 

There are 3 activists fighting for their lives - with the whole nation alert and preparing to jam the system from all corners - yet still maintaining a hunger strike despite being injected with drips of saline and glucose. 

The system (controlled by Pakistan) is still trying to maintain its 'writ' and being adamant that Ayaz Butt will be unconditionally released on his next hearing on the 4th of August. This is despite 2 judges admitting that no criminal charges can arise from the allegations against Ayaz Butt, as early as the 4th of July (after his arrest on the 15th of June) and as recently as the 26th of July, despite which giving a hearing date of the 4th of August, is evidence that the system has been dragging its feet to admit the inevitable. 

That is has to unconditionally release Ayaz Butt. The Pakistani State can no longer fool anyone about its using the right to self determination as a cover to force the people of AJK to confirm to its inhumane national narrative. 

....

Daily Diary (DD) - Day 211 of 2025

0345hrs:

Already 8 hours and 45 minutes into my latest hunger strike. This time it is a bit different. I am not alone and not even the first to conduct this particular hunger strike. 

I am the third and I started 5 hours later than them. Ayaz Butt began his hunger strike in jail yesterday at 1400hrs and he was joined outside by Zubair Bhatti at the same time. The latter has also been conducting a sit-in protest on behalf of Ayaz Butt at Abshaar Chowk, since the 25th of June. 

I joined them in the evening at 1900hrs.

I did try to sleep at 2000hrs and didn't fair too badly, even though I've been lying on a simple floor mat on the street at Abshaar Chowk. That is, until the heavens burst with rain at c. 0200hrs.

At almost 0400hrs it is still raining, less intensely though. 

....

:آبشار چوک کوٹلی اور  ڈسٹرکٹ جیل میں جاری بھوک ہڑتال کے دو بڑے مطالبات ہیں

1) 

ایاز بٹ کی غیر مشروط اور باعزت رہائی۔اس گرفتاری کے بارے دو مختلف جج صاحبان نے 4 جولائی اور 26 جولائی 2025

کو سر اجلاس رولنگ دی ہے کہ یہ مقدمہ بنتا ہی نہیں۔ جب مقدمہ نہیں بنتا تو بندہ جیل میں کیوں؟

2)

آزاد جموں و کشمیر کی حکومت سے عوام کو ضمانت چاہیے کہ آئندہ کسی ریاستی کی تقریر و تحریر، نقل وحرکت کرنے، تنظیم سازی، اجتماع سازی اورجہاں مقامی قوانین ناکافی ہوں وہاں بین الاقوامی قوانین تک رسائی پر کوئی بیرونی، غیر قانونی ،غیر آئینی حوالداری مداخلت نہیں کی جائےگی۔

JKA PUBLIC AGENCY Note: #U064830072025

The Urdu note above can also be accessed on Facebook

....

Here's another important life anecdote from Quora:

A giant ship's engine broke down and no one could repair it, so they hired a Mechanical Engineer with over 30 years of experience.

He inspected the engine very carefully, from top to bottom. After seeing everything, the engineer unloaded his bag and pulled out a small hammer.

He knocked something gently. Soon, the engine came to life again. The engine has been fixed!

A week later the engineer mentioned to the ship owner that the total cost of repairing the giant ship was $20,000.

"What?!" said the owner.

"You did almost nothing. Give us a detailed bill."

The answer is simple:

Tap with a hammer: $2

Know where to knock and how much to knock: $19,998

The importance of appreciating one's expertise and experience...because those are the results of struggles, experiments and even tears.

If I do a job in 30 minutes it's because I spent 20 years learning how to do that in 30 minutes. You owe me for the years, not the minutes.

....

Daily Diary (DD) - Day 208 of 2025

1148hrs:

My dinner wasn't ready till about 2000hrs yesterday evening, when I should have hit the sack. It wasn't my family's fault as they had accompanied me to Kotli during the day and obviously returned along with me as we reached home at about half past 6 (1830hrs). 

I did try and sleep from 2200hrs onwards once my food was digested but still struggled to sleep before midnight. 

I couldn't get up before 0900hrs.

....

Daily Diary (DD) - Day 207 of 2025

2126hrs:

Still learning. Need to too. One cannot succeed otherwise. 

Yes, I did hit bed at 2000hrs on the dot but was too restless to sleep for many hours, though I did keep my environment dark and rarely left the horizontal position and kept my eyes closed. 

Yet, I still managed to sleep till 0700hrs.

I need to work much harder. 

....

Today was an engaging environment in district courts complex Kotli. 

There are plenty of notes to share on our insistence on reversing the bail order of Ayaz Butt. 

The latter has always insisted, even before he got arrested on the 15th of June, that he will not take bail and add legitimacy to the Pakistani State's illegal presence in AJK. 

'Trusted sources' as quoted in the FIR cannot be Pakistan's clandestine agencies in this territory. 

We - the people - are the owners (Maalik), inheritors (Waaris), assurers (Zaamin) & protectors (Muhafiz) of the territory of AJK. 

....