Jammu and Kashmir was one of the princely states that acceded to India in 1947. It had a geographical area of approximately 2,22,236 sq. km and became an integral part of India. But in 1947 itself, Pakistan invaded the State and illegally occupied 78,114 sq.kms. of the land of Jammu and Kashmir, and this still remains under its illegal occupation. Pakistan has divided this territory into two regions, which it calls Azad Jammu and Kashmir (Mirpur and Muzaffarabad) and Northern Areas (Gilgit-Baltistan) for concocting certain myths and consolidating its own sway over the region. Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) is the phrase that Pakistan uses to hide the atrocities that it has been committing in this region. These regions are actually called Mirpur and Muzaffarabad. In this article, a clear picture of Mirpur and Muzaffarabad is given to prove that this region is devoid of the so-called Azadi (freedom) that Pakistan wants to convey.

The Mirpur and Muzaffarabad region is spread in an area of 13,297 sq. km. and it is nothing more than the tightly controlled territory that Pakistan has occupied illegally. Though Pakistan calls it Azad (Free) yet it couldn’t be farther from the truth. Certain facts will clear the myth of freedom in Mirpur and Muzaffarabad:

• Jammu and Kashmir was one single entity before 1947 and it was ruled by Maharaja Hari Singh of Jammu and Kashmir. Though the Instrument of Accession (IoA) was signed by Maharaja Hari Singh in favour of India, yet Pakistan invaded the state and illegally occupied a large tract of land. The areas that Pakistan calls AJK and Northern Areas (Gilgit-Baltistan) were under the rule of Maharaja Hari Singh during the British administration and hence, they are legitimate parts of the entire State of Jammu and Kashmir that acceded to India.
• The relationship between Islamabad (the capital of Pakistan) and Muzaffarabad (the capital of Mirpur and Muzaffarabad) is like that of a master and servant, with the overall control of the region remaining in the hands of Pakistan. Under Article 56 of the 1974 constitution, Islamabad has overwhelming power to dismiss even the elected Government of Mirpur and Muzaffarabad . This provision reads, nothing shall “……… prevent the Government of Pakistan from taking such action as it may consider necessary or expedient for the effective discharge of that responsibility”. Also, with the commencement of the 1974 interim constitution, the main executive authority in Mirpur and Muzaffarabad rests with a Council, wherein the Pakistani Prime Minister is the Chairman. This has helped Pakistan in tightly controlling the political voice in Mirpur and Muzaffarabad and encouraging Islamabad’s stooges in holding power.
• Maharaja Hari Singh was the only competent authority in the matter of the accession of Jammu and Kashmir. Meanwhile, Pakistan allows only those political parties to contest elections there who support the accession of Jammu and Kashmir to Pakistan though they are not legally competent to do so. 
• Pakistan tried to divert the attention of the international community away from the entire region of Jammu and Kashmir, which it has occupied illegally. Hence, it segregated Mirpur and Muzaffarabad from Gilgit-Baltistan. By segregating the illegally occupied territory of J&K into AJK and Northern Areas (Gilgit-Baltistan) Pakistan has also tried to build the opinion that Gilgit-Baltisan was not the part of Jammu and Kashmir though that is not true. Their segregation is a manoeuvre by Pakistan to avert any consolidated movement against it. Political parties from Pakistan were allowed to contest elections in Gilgit-Baltistan but political parties from Mirpur and Muzaffarabad were not allowed for the same. Even the March 8, 1993 judgement of the Mirpur and Muzaffarabad High Court declared that the segregation of Northern Areas from Mirpur and Muzafarrabad was illegal.
• Pakistan’s media and scholars close their eyes when it comes to the socio-economic ravage of this region and try to give the impression that everything is alright. Pakistan ceded some of the illegally occupied territory of Jammu and Kashmir to China without consulting its stooges in the Mirpur and Muzaffarabad Government despite Pakistan itself not being competent enough to do so. 
• The construction of Mangla dam displaced several Mirpur and Muzaffarabad residents, especially Mirpuris for their entire colony was submerged into water. This dam was constructed for the benefit of the Punjab province of Pakistan. Over 280 villages and the towns of Mirpur and Dadyal were submerged and over 1,10,000 people were displaced from the area as a result of the dam being built.
• A small portion of the budgetary finances of Mirpur and Muzaffarabad are met through local taxes and finances from the federal government. Thus, it is heavily dependent on funding from foreign agencies, which is channelized through Islamabad.
• The preamble of the Mirpur and Muzaffarabad Constitution reads that the state of Jammu and Kashmir under the instrument of partition should have become part of Pakistan, as its population is predominantly Muslim though this provision was applicable only on British India and not to the princely states. This also reflects the greater control exercised by Pakistan on Mirpur and Muzaffarabad.
• The political parties of Mirpur and Muzaffarabad are governed by section 33 of the AJK Act, which states that “no person or political party in Azad Jammu and Kashmir shall be permitted to propagate against or take part in activities prejudicial or detrimental to the ideology of the State’s accession to Pakistan”. Article 5 (b) section (vii) of Mirpur and Muzaffarabad Legislative Assembly Election Ordinance, 1970 states that a member will be disqualified from contesting election if “he is propagating any opinion or action in any manner, prejudicial to the ideology of Pakistan, or the sovereignty, integrity of Pakistan”. It means that no one must dare raise a voice against the atrocities of Pakistan or else he would be persecuted.
• Sub clause 2 of sub-section 7 of section 4 instructs all individual and political parties “not to propagate or take part in activities prejudicial or detrimental to the ideology of the State’s accession to Pakistan. The future status of the State of J&K is yet to be determined in accordance with the freely expressed wishes of the votes of the people till then, the ideology of State’s accession to Pakistan is final and the same cannot be questioned”. This also clearly depicts that Pakistan has complete control over Mirpur and Muzaffarabad. Section 9 of the Political Parties Act restricts and recommends dissolution of any party that “propagates any idea other than the accession of the State to Pakistan”.
• The state’s subjects are not allowed to criticize the J&K territory’s incorporation in Pakistan, cannot demand reunification of Gilgit-Baltistan with AJK, cannot advocate independence as an option, cannot criticize the partition of India and cannot criticize armed forces of Pakistan. These tightly controlled mechanisms clearly reveal that the freedom in Mirpur and Muzaffarabad is only lip service given by Islamabad.
• The pro-Pakistan leaders in AJK promulgated two ordinances in April 1985 that allowed the cancellation of the registration of those political parties of AJK, who do not secure a minimum of 12.5% of total valid votes cast, and at least 5% of the aggregate of the valid votes cast in each district, besides prohibiting its elected members from being members of the Assembly. The AJK High Court called these ordinances as bad laws, as they infringed on fundamental rights.
• In 1991, the Chief Secretary of the AJK Government, who was a direct appointee of Islamabad, ordered the arrest of Mumtaz Hussain Rathore, who was then the Prime Minister of this so called AJK for his anti-Pakistan remarks and call for real freedom in the state.
• The pro-independence parties have never been allowed to participate in the election as they refused to take oath under the constitution to work for the State’s accession to Pakistan. This decision was defended by the spokesperson of the foreign office in 2006 by saying that Mirpur and Muzaffarabad elections are governed by the constitution of AJK. Around 30 nomination papers each of the JKLF and the All Party National Alliance candidates were rejected by the election commission on this basis. The JKLF leader Sardar Saghir Khan objected to it and called this provision controversial as Islamabad had given final approval for adding this controversial provision.

The nature of Islamabad is such that even the elected government cannot dare to go against its wishes and despite this Pakistan tries to present Mirpur and Muzaffarabad as Azad (freed). Unfortunately, this nomenclature is an eye-wash for international bodies and the reality is far from what Pakistan is trying to present. It is ironic that the tightly controlled media and restrictive coverage on the plight of the residents of Mirpur and Muzaffarabad have helped Pakistan in hiding the reality of this ostensibly ‘Azad’ region.