ANI image
Three senior ministers in the cabinet of Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq resigned on Saturday. The ministers accused the prime minister of failing to protect the constitutional and political rights of PoJK residents and Kashmiri refugees living in Pakistan, news agency ANI reported. According to The Express Tribune, information minister Pir Mazhar Saeed had already stepped down earlier. Later, finance minister Abdul Majid Khan, food minister Chaudhry Akbar Ibrahim and minister Asim Sharif Bhat also announced their resignations.In their statements, the ministers alleged that Haq had lost moral and political legitimacy, neglecting both the people of PoJK and the 2.5 million Kashmiri refugees residing across Pakistan.They demanded his resignation and criticised the government’s handling of recent unrest, saying it had failed to represent refugee interests in the legislative structure.In his resignation letter, Abdul Majid Khan reaffirmed his loyalty to Pakistan’s ideology and the rights of Kashmiri refugees. He strongly criticised the Jammu and Kashmir Joint Action Committee (JAAC) for pushing what he called a “divisive and opportunistic” demand to abolish 12 reserved refugee seats in the PoJK Legislative Assembly. He said the agreement reached between the JAAC and federal representatives lacked legitimacy and broader consensus.Echoing his remarks, Chaudhry Akbar Ibrahim said refugees were not “mere political numbers,” but patriotic Pakistanis who had endured decades of displacement. He accused the Haq government of failing to uphold their constitutional rights, saying it had become “impossible to continue serving under such leadership,” ANI reported citing The Express Tribune. Both ministers have written to President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief General Asim Munir, urging them to intervene. They warned that millions of divided Kashmiris across Pakistan feel increasingly alienated and are demanding the restoration of their rightful representation within PoJK’s political framework.
