Ahead of the PoK polls, Pak PM Imran Khan was quoted in an election rally that he will let Kashmir citizens decide if they want an ‘independent state’ or join Pak. The recent statement is a complete 360-degree change in Pakistan’s policy on Kashmir. The Pakistan’s policy on Kashmir states that the issue will be resolved according to the UN resolution through the referendum which will allow Kashmir citizens to choose Pakistan or India.
Details
Doing a complete U-turn over his country’s officially declared policy on Kashmir, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan claimed that Pak capital Islamabad will allow the Kashmiri citizens decide whether they want to have an “independent state” or whether they want to come to Pakistan.
Pakistan PM’s strange claim came when he was addressing an election rally in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir’s Tarar Khal region. The PoK will be witnessing an election on Sunday, July 25. In his rally speech, PM Khan also rejected all the rumours of Pakistan government working on an elaborate plan to make Kashmir a Pakistani province.
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Kashmir as Pakistani Province? PM Imran Khan denies rumours
Khan in his speech was heard dismissing the rumours and said, “I do not know where all this talk (about province) has sprung from.” He further said that he is hopeful for a future where Kashmir citizens will be allowed to decide their own future.
What is Pakistan’s policy on Kashmir?
It should be noted that as per Pakistan’s own policy on Kashmir, the who belongs where issue will be resolved according to the UN resolution which will be passed through a referendum which will allow Kashmir citizens to choose Pakistan or India.
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PM Khan’s Third Option
PM Khan claimed that-
“his government will hold another referendum to give the people of Kashmir a choice to either live with Pakistan or become an independent state.”
While there is an option in the UN resolution where a Kashmir citizen can choose either India or Pakistan, there is no option where an intendent state will be drawn out.
India’s Position on the Kashmir Issue
Meanwhile, India’s consistent position on the issue is that Jammu and Kashmir were always and will forever be an integral part of the country. India has also communicated with Islamabad and asserted that it is completely capable of solving issues regarding Jammu & Kashmir and have labelled those issues as “internal matter”.
Pakistan PM’s statement came after an opposition leader Maryam Nawaz had addressed an election rally recently where she said that decision regarding Kashmir’s status has been made and it will be a province of Pakistan.
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The Upcoming PoK Elections
The elections mentioned here are the Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) held elections. They are scheduled to happen on Sunday this week. A total of 53 seats will be contested in the elections for the PoK assembly and 20 lakh voters will gather to pick their choice.
The PoK territory has a total of 10 districts. These 10 districts are ruled under – Poonch, Mirpur & Muzzaffarabad. The PoK is by and large a self-ruling, autonomous territory, but the Pakistan Army makes the final call in all the matters. The PoK and its military activities, security exercises are all controlled by the Pakistan Army.
The PoK is operated by and large by the government of Pakistan. A Kashmir Council – headed by the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, – governs the PoK. The assembly comprises of 14 members where 6 members come from Pakistan government, 8 from the PoK Assembly.
