AJK Govt files reference in SC over refugees' seats in assembly

MUZAFFARABAD: The Azad Kashmir government has filed a reference in the AJK Supreme Court seeking the court’s legal opinion over the reserved seats for refugees in the Azad Kashmir Legislative Assembly.

AJK Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore’s Spokesman Shaukat Javed Mir has confirmed that the government has filed reference in AJK Supreme Court over the issue.

The government has sought the court’s opinion with regard to abolition of the seats or symbolic representation of the refugees from the Kashmir Valley and Jammu region.

The 12 reserved seats for refugees in the Azad Kashmir Legislative Assembly remains a key point of political debate in the region. The proponents said the seats are a representation of the historical and political reality of the displaced populations, and their retention is seen as a constitutional and moral obligation, while the opponents argue that they should be based on territorial jurisdiction and that the right to decide the future of Azad Kashmir should belong to the residents of the region.