The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government has issued a travel advisory urging tourists and other visitors to avoid travelling to the region between June 5 and June 20, citing a planned protest call by the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC).
In its advisory, the AJK government advised travellers to postpone non-essential visits during the period. It also asked tourists currently visiting AJK for leisure or other purposes to leave the region by Saturday evening.
The JAAC has previously organised large-scale protests over economic issues and political rights, some of which turned violent and resulted in fatalities during clashes with law enforcement in May 2024 and September 2025.
Its latest protest campaign focuses on a demand to abolish the 12 seats in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly reserved for refugees from Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) who migrated to Pakistan after 1947.
Meanwhile, the All Parties Conference (APC) held at the Prime Minister’s Secretariat in Muzaffarabad this week rejected the demand for the abolition of 12 seats reserved for refugees residing in Pakistan in the Legislative Assembly and made it clear that constitutional reforms are the exclusive prerogative and mandate of elected representatives of the people.
A day ago, the AJK Legislative Assembly also passed a resolution retaining 12 seats reserved for Kashmiri refugees.
The resolution stated that refugee representation was a historical and constitutional reality. It added that any necessary reforms to remove electoral complications and make the system acceptable to political parties could be implemented through the assembly.
Minister rejects refugee seats abolition demand
Minister for Defence Khawaja Muhammad Asif has said that demands to abolish the 12 seats in the Kashmir Assembly reserved for Kashmiri voters residing in Pakistan are tantamount to an attempt to undermine and disrupt the electoral process.
This demand, made ahead of the upcoming elections, is tantamount to sabotaging the electoral process, the defence minister wrote on his social media platform X.
He said that in Sialkot city and tehsil, there is one seat in the Azad Kashmir Assembly and two seats in the National Assembly, while the remaining Kashmir Assembly constituencies are spread across Pakistan.
The defence minister went on to say that in October 1947, these migrants settled in Sialkot city and tehsil after sacrificing over 200,000 lives.
“The modesty of hundreds of thousands of women was outraged, and thousands of daughters were abducted. How can these migrants be deprived of their rightful representation?” he questioned.
AJK polls on July 27
The Election Commission of Azad Jammu and Kashmir has announced July 27, 2026 as the date for general elections and issued the complete election schedule.
According to a notification issued by the region’s Election Commission, polling for all constituencies of the AJK Legislative Assembly will be held on July 27 from 8am to 5pm.
The notification states that candidates will be able to submit their nomination papers to returning officers from June 9 to June 19.
Scrutiny of nomination papers will take place on June 20, while the preliminary list of candidates whose papers are accepted will also be issued the same day.
Appeals against the acceptance or rejection of nomination papers may be filed with the Election Commission from June 21 to June 24. Hearings on the appeals will be conducted on June 26 and June 27, while decisions will be announced between June 28 and June 29.
Under the schedule, candidates will be allowed to withdraw their nomination papers until June 30. A list of contesting candidates will be published on July 1, while election symbols will be allotted on July 2.
The final list of candidates, along with their election symbols, will be published on July 2.
— With additional input from APP
