Pakistan: Follow-up to PAK32735.E of 24 September 1999 on the Jammu Kashmir Liberation League (JKLL), including its structure, mandate and activities, leaders, current status, and treatment of its members by the Azad Kashmiri and Pakistani authorities (1994 to September 1999)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 26 October 1999 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | PAK33127.E |
| Reference | 4 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Pakistan: Follow-up to PAK32735.E of 24 September 1999 on the Jammu Kashmir Liberation League (JKLL), including its structure, mandate and activities, leaders, current status, and treatment of its members by the Azad Kashmiri and Pakistani authorities (1994 to September 1999) , 26 October 1999, PAK33127.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ad7268.html [accessed 6 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
The following information on the Jammu Kashmir Liberation League (JKLL) was forwarded to the Research Directorate on 19 October 1999 by the Kashmiri-Canadian Council (KCC) in Toronto, which received information on the JKLL from theKashmir Information Centre in Islamabad, Pakistan, and from the Executive Director of the Institute of Policy Studies in Islamabad.
The Kashmir Information Centre in Islamabad stated that:
1. Once Jammu & Kashmir Liberation League was a prominent political organisation in Azad Jammu & Kashmir, now become the history of past with no vital role in current freedom struggle of Jammu & Kashmir. Its founder president was a Kashmiri migrant from Indian Held-Kashmir namely K.H.Khurshid who was Kashmiri speaking and secretary of Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah.
He was a popular leader and first elected president of Azad Jammu & Kashmir. But after his accidental death the party diminished day by day and came to the position that once ruling and reigning party cannot succeed even in a single constituency in the recent elections in which Pakistan Peoples Party came into power.
2. There is no base of Jammu & Kashmir Liberation League in Indian Held-Kashmir and it has nil participation in current Movement.
3. The main ideology of their organisation is that the government of Azad Kashmir should be accepted as an independent government and representative of whole state. In addition to this, their motto is that the people of Kashmir should be given their basic right to decide their future accordingly to their own choice in free and fair atmosphere. It is the choice of the people what they want, whether they want to accede with Pakistan or India or remain independent.
4. Prime Minister of Azad Jammu & Kashmir was once the member and president of Jammu & Kashmir Liberation League. But today he is the president of PPP and there are many ministers in his cabinet who were once the members of Liberation League e.g. Kh. Farooq Ahmed. The current set-up of Jammu & Kashmir Liberation League is as follows:
President - Retired Chief Justice Abdul Majid Malik is the president of the party. He is the usual visitor of European countries, collecting funds in the name of movement but doing nothing in the practical field of struggle. He is from Mirpur Azad Kashmir.
Senior Vice President - Mr. Maroof Akhter Abbasi is the Vice-President of Jammu & Kashmir Liberation League. He is cousin of president of Jammu & Kashmir Muslim Conference Sardar Abdul Qayum Khan.
Secretary-General - Mr. Misfer Hussain is the Secretary-General of Jammu & Kashmir Liberation League. He is running his clinic at Rawalpindi and always trying to arrange programs for the projection of a bureaucratic leader Justice Majid Malik but in vein.
There are many other posts/departments of the organisation as Assistant Secretary General, Secretary Finance, Secretary Information etc..
5. Membership procedure - they are always in search of members especially of those members, which can raise funds for them at international level.
The following information on the JKLL was provided by the Executive Director of the Institute of Policy Studies in Islamabad:
Jammu and Kashmir Liberation League was established in 1962 by well-known Kashmiri leader K H Khurshid. It emerged as the 2nd largest party in Azad Kashmir in 1970 elections. As regards to the struggle in Kashmir it supports the view of an independent Kashmir. However generally not very vocal against Pakistan like JKLF.
The party is active throughout Azad Kashmir but to the best of our knowledge it has no presence in Indian-occupied Kashmir.
After the demise of party's founder president K H Khurshid the party has lost the support it used to have among the masses. Presently Justice Abdul Majid Malik (former chief justice AJK Supreme Court) is heading the party.
In the last elections held in 1996, party lost on all the seats it contested. However since the party observes the country's law there is no pressure of any kind on the party from either AJK or Pakistan government.
Anyone, by simply filling a form can become a member of the party. The party does not issue cards to its members.
The address of the party's office is as follows:
House no 38
Sector B / 2
Mirror Azad Kashmir
phone 3464
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
Institute of Policy Studies, Islamabad. n.d. Correspondence from Executive Director. Forwarded to the Research Directorate by the Kashmiri-Canadian Council (KCC) in Toronto.
Kashmir Information Centre, Islamabad. n.d. Correspondence. Forwarded to the Research Directorate by the Kashmiri-Canadian Council (KCC) in Toronto.
