The second phase of elections in Azad Jammu and Kashmir is underway. The question is: where does the proscribed Kashmir Action Committee stand today, and what exactly are its objectives? Why has it chosen to remain detached from the democratic process?

If this movement was genuinely launched to secure the rights of the people, and if its true purpose was public welfare rather than disorder and agitation, then its objectives could only have been pursued through democratic politics and the electoral process. It is hardly democratic to stay away from elections, shut down roads and cities, and then ask the state to concede one’s demands. If there is no faith in democracy and no willingness to participate in elections, what other constitutional avenue remains for addressing the people’s problems? Can public rights really be secured through violence and destruction?

There should be no disagreement over the rights of the people of Azad Kashmir. Those rights deserve to be protected and upheld.

There should be no disagreement over the rights of the people of Azad Kashmir. Those rights deserve to be protected and upheld.

The Action Committee had several democratic........

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