A Grave Injustice to the Azad Kashmir Police
By : Khwaja Kashif Mir
Pakistan has invoked the 1949 Karachi Agreement to appoint a BS‑20 police officer from Punjab as Inspector General of Police (IGP) in Azad Kashmir, placing him above eight senior police officers of the region.
The notification was issued by the Government of Pakistan, creating deep unrest across the entire Azad Kashmir police force. The real issue is the humiliation of state officers: Grade‑21 officers, senior DIGs, and police commanders with decades of experience have all been sidelined, while an “imported” officer from Islamabad has been placed at the top.
This is not merely an appointment — it is a blatant violation of seniority, merit, and the institutional autonomy of the Azad Kashmir Police Service.
The Karachi Agreement is being misused; a clause of the 1949 agreement is being weaponized to justify such decisions.
Under this agreement, key administrative powers were handed over to Pakistan. Approval for top positions in Azad Kashmir — including Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Chief Justice of the High Court, Chief Election Commissioner, Chief Secretary, Inspector General of Police, Secretary Finance, Secretary Health, Accountant General, and Additional Chief Secretary Development — was placed under Islamabad’s control. Meanwhile, complete authority over Gilgit‑Baltistan was transferred to Pakistan. Today, the same controversial clause is being used to push aside capable, senior, and experienced officers of Azad Kashmir.
The question is not who has been appointed IGP.
The real question is: Why are Azad Kashmir’s own police officers not being given this right?
Are they incompetent?
Are they not trusted?
Or is this 1949 document repeatedly used simply to keep state institutions weak within their own homeland?
Azad Kashmir is no longer in an era where seniority can be trampled, experienced officers can be insulted, and controversial decisions can be imposed on institutions and the public.
This issue is not just a posting — it is a direct attack on the administrative structure of Azad Kashmir and the institutional dignity of its police force.
This is why a growing sentiment in Azad Kashmir is asking:
Why can’t this 75‑year‑old agreement be abolished or amended?
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