Azad Kashmir crisis: Impact and lessons

THE recent unrest in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) has exposed internal vulnerabilities that risk undermining Pakistan’s position in the broader Kashmir dispute. At a time when international attention to Kashmir is already limited, continued instability in AJK threatens to shift focus away from the unresolved status of the region toward governance, political management and public trust, developments that could further complicate Pakistan’s diplomatic narrative. The Kashmir dispute remains one of the world’s longest unresolved conflicts, centred on identity, sovereignty and self-determination. Yet as geopolitical priorities evolve and new crises dominate attention, Kashmir has steadily receded from the diplomatic agenda. In this environment, preserving political credibility and institutional resilience on our side becomes even more important. As a Kashmiri by birth, a proud Pakistani and a former soldier with decades long experience in security and intelligence affairs, I view these developments with concern. Experience has shown that governance deficiencies and instability, if unaddressed, can evolve into vulnerabilities that others may exploit. This reflection is not about blame but about lessons to prevent recurrence. Pakistan’s political history shows a recurring pattern: manageable issues escalate when legitimate grievances are not addressed in time. Institutional constraints, political expediency and weak consultation often allow tensions to grow until they become harder to resolve. The situation in AJK should not be viewed in isolation. It reflects governance and socio-economic challenges, alongside communication gaps that deserve sustained attention. The grievances that surfaced did not emerge overnight; they reflect accumulated perceptions that concerns were not being adequately heard through institutional channels. This episode reminds me of an incident about two decades ago, which I personally witnessed during my days in intelligence, where a communication