The streets of Luton, UK, witnessed a grand public event expressing solidarity with the Jammu Kashmir Joint Public Action Committee, as the diasporic community rallied behind the Charter of Demands issued by the All Parties Coordination Committee Rawalakot. This powerful 16-point charter, a direct challenge to Pakistan’s exploitative control over Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) and Pakistan-occupied-Gilgit-Baltistan (PoGB).
At the core of the demands is a call for the immediate dissolution of PoJK’s puppet assembly, currently led by Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwar Haq, and his resignation. The charter demands democratic reforms, including the establishment of an independent Election Commission to facilitate elections for a genuinely empowered Constituent Assembly.
The committee has also prioritized the repeal of the oppressive Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Ordinance 2024, branding it a “black law” designed to muzzle dissent.
In one of its most scathing demands, the charter calls for legal action against key figures in the Pak security apparatus, including ISI sector commanders and Rangers officials, for their role in the brutal killing of three young men on May 13, 2024. These killings, meant to crush voices advocating for basic rights, are emblematic of Pakistan’s violent approach to silencing dissent in PoJK.
Charter of Demands for PoJK and PoGB
The committee also demands action against extremist religious groups, including those who terrorized Rawalakot residents in September 2024, often operating with impunity under the Pakistan Army’s protection.
The charter exposes Pakistan’s systemic exploitation of PoJK’s resources. It calls for the repeal of the exploitative Karachi Agreement and Act 1974, demanding the withdrawal of Lent officers who act as Islamabad’s enforcers in PoJK’s administration. Furthermore, it calls for the abolition of 12 legislative seats reserved for refugees from PoJK in Pakistan, which the committee describes as a “robbery” designed to manipulate governance and siphon resources away from the region.
In a direct challenge to the Pakistan Army’s land grab disguised as “green tourism,” the committee has denounced the military’s plans to seize lands in PoJK. Instead, it proposes developing infrastructure to support genuine tourism, including the activation of airports and reinvestment in local industries using remittances from the Kashmiri diaspora.
This resistance, fueled by widespread anger and decades of marginalization, represents a significant blow to the Pakistan Army and its imperial ambitions in the region. The world is watching as the people of PoJK and PoGB rise against the chains of exploitation and fight for their rightful place in history.