Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) is one of the most sensitive and long-standing territorial disputes between India and Pakistan. The region is part of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, which acceded to India in 1947. However, following the first India-Pakistan war, a portion of the territory came under Pakistan’s control and has remained disputed ever since.
The term Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is used by India to refer to the areas of Jammu and Kashmir that are currently administered by Pakistan. This includes two key regions: Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan. Azad Jammu and Kashmir has its own elected government, but Pakistan retains control over key matters such as defense, foreign policy, and currency. Gilgit-Baltistan is governed more directly by Pakistan and was granted provisional provincial status in 2020, a move that India strongly opposed.
Azad Jammu and Kashmir has Muzaffarabad as its capital and is home to nearly four million people. While it has a semi-autonomous government, critics and international observers have noted Pakistan’s deep influence on its political and administrative affairs. Gilgit-Baltistan, with a population of around two million, borders China and is significant for its strategic location and natural resources. Pakistan’s administrative changes in this region have been viewed by India as an attempt to legitimize its control, something India considers illegal and against international law.
The origins of the dispute date back to 1947, when British India was divided into India and Pakistan. The princely states were given the choice to join either country. The Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir, Hari Singh, initially chose to stay independent. However, when tribal militias backed by Pakistan invaded the region, he signed the Instrument of Accession to India. This led to the first Indo-Pak war, and a ceasefire was brokered by the United Nations in 1949. The ceasefire line, which later became the Line of Control (LoC), split the region into Indian-administered and Pakistan-administered zones.
India maintains that the entire region of Jammu and Kashmir, including the parts under Pakistan’s control, is an integral part of the country. In 1994, the Indian Parliament passed a resolution asserting that Pakistan-occupied Kashmir must be returned to India. Successive Indian governments have upheld this position and objected to any Pakistani administrative or military activity in the region.
Pakistan, on the other hand, refers to the region as Azad Kashmir and argues that the people of the territory should be allowed to decide their future through a plebiscite. This proposal, based on United Nations resolutions, has never been implemented, mainly due to disagreements between the two countries over the conditions for such a vote. India maintains that a plebiscite is no longer valid due to changes in the regional and legal context, especially after the integration of Jammu and Kashmir into the Indian Union.
The international community largely considers Jammu and Kashmir a disputed territory, though no major country officially recognizes Pakistan’s claim over the region. China has invested heavily in infrastructure projects in Gilgit-Baltistan through the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which India opposes, calling it a violation of its sovereignty. These developments have added new dimensions to the already complex issue of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Security in the region remains a concern. India has repeatedly accused Pakistan of using PoK as a base for cross-border terrorism. Incidents of militant infiltration and ceasefire violations along the LoC have continued to strain relations. India has also raised the issue of human rights violations in PoK, pointing to restrictions on freedom of speech, political activity, and press freedom in the region.
Following India’s move to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir in 2019 and reorganize it into two union territories, India reaffirmed its claim over Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The Indian government has made it clear that talks with Pakistan can only take place if Islamabad ends its support for terrorism and vacates the illegally held territory. The future of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir remains uncertain, with both countries maintaining firm and opposing positions on the issue.