Pakistan-administered Kashmir (Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan) COI Compilation 7 May 2012 ACCORD is co-funded by the European Refugee Fund, UNHCR and the Ministry of the Interior, Austria. Commissioned by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Division of International Protection. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author. ACCORD - Austrian Centre for Country of Origin & Asylum Research and Documentation Pakistan-administered Kashmir (Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan) COI Compilation 7 May 2012 This report serves the specific purpose of collating legally relevant information on conditions in countries of origin pertinent to the assessment of claims for asylum. It is not intended to be a general report on human rights conditions. The report is prepared on the basis of publicly available information, studies and commentaries within a specified time frame. All sources are cited and fully referenced. This report is not, and does not purport to be, either exhaustive with regard to conditions in the country surveyed, or conclusive as to the merits of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Every effort has been made to compile information from reliable sources; users should refer to the full text of documents cited and assess the credibility, relevance and timeliness of source material with reference to the specific research concerns arising from individual applications. © Austrian Red Cross/ACCORD An electronic version of this report is available on www.ecoi.net. Austrian Red Cross/ACCORD Wiedner Hauptstraße 32 A- 1040 Vienna, Austria Phone: +43 1 58 900 – 582 E-Mail: [email protected] Web: http://www.redcross.at/accord ACCORD is co-funded by the European Refugee Fund, UNHCR and the Ministry of the Interior, Austria. Table of Contents List of Abbreviations ................................................................................................................................................................. 5 1 Background Information .............................................................................................................................................. 7 1.1 Government structures and political system ............................................................................................... 7 1.1.1 Azad Kashmir (AJK Legislative Assembly, Prime Minister, President) ................................ 7 1.1.2 Gilgit-Baltistan (Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly, Chief Minister, Governor) ....... 8 1.2 Formal relation and distribution of powers between Pakistan’s federal government and the government structures in Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan ............................................................ 9 1.2.1 Azad Kashmir ...................................................................................................................................................... 9 1.2.2 Gilgit-Baltistan .................................................................................................................................................... 11 1.3 Overview of the main political parties ......................................................................................................... 12 1.3.1 Azad Kashmir .................................................................................................................................................... 13 1.3.2 Gilgit-Baltistan ...................................................................................................................................................17 1.4 The judicial system ................................................................................................................................................... 18 1.4.1 Azad Kashmir .................................................................................................................................................... 18 1.4.2 Gilgit-Baltistan .................................................................................................................................................. 19 1.5 Characteristics of government and state institutions in Kashmir ................................................. 20 1.6 Role of the military in the governance of Kashmir ................................................................................ 21 1.7 Governance of the border between Pakistan-administered Kashmir and India- administered Kashmir (“Line of Control”) ............................................................................................................. 21 1.7.1 Ability of civilians to move across the Line of Control .............................................................. 22 2 Main Political Developments .................................................................................................................................. 25 2.1 Talks and confidence-building measures between Pakistan and India in relation to Kashmir; ceasefire violations ....................................................................................................................................... 25 2.1.1 Negotiations between Pakistan and India and confidence-building measures ............ 25 2.1.2 Ceasefire violations ...................................................................................................................................... 28 2.2 Elections in Gilgit-Baltistan, November 2009 .......................................................................................... 29 2.3 Elections in Azad Kashmir, 26 June 2011 .................................................................................................... 32 2.4 Demands for separatism ...................................................................................................................................... 35 3 Security Situation ......................................................................................................................................................... 37 3.1 Level of militarization and insurgency in Pakistan-administered Kashmir ............................... 37 3.1.1 Militarization ..................................................................................................................................................... 37 3.1.2 Insurgency .......................................................................................................................................................... 37 3.2 Agents of violence ................................................................................................................................................... 40 3.3 Terrorist attacks and anti-terrorist operations ........................................................................................ 41 3.4 Level and type of human rights violations ................................................................................................. 42 3.4.1 Extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrest, detention, disappearances, torture .................. 42 3.4.2 Civilian casualties ........................................................................................................................................... 43 3.4.3 Extortion, exploitation, land confiscation, arbitrary taxation, forced relocation, human trafficking ......................................................................................................................................................... 43 2 4 Security forces, military, armed groups .......................................................................................................... 44 4.1 Security forces in Pakistan-administered Kashmir ................................................................................. 44 4.1.1 Police ..................................................................................................................................................................... 44 4.1.2 Armed forces .................................................................................................................................................... 45 4.1.3 Paramilitary forces ........................................................................................................................................ 46 4.1.4 Intelligence services ...................................................................................................................................... 46 4.2 Non-state armed groups ..................................................................................................................................... 47 4.2.1 Hizbul Mujahideen ......................................................................................................................................... 48 4.2.2 Lashkar-e-Taiba .............................................................................................................................................. 48 4.2.3 Jaish-e-Mohammad....................................................................................................................................... 49 4.2.4 Harkat-ul-Mujahideen ................................................................................................................................. 49 4.2.5 Tehrik ul-Mujahideen ................................................................................................................................... 50 4.2.6 Hizb ul-Momineen .......................................................................................................................................... 50 4.2.7 Harakat ul-Jihad al-Islami ......................................................................................................................... 50 4.3 Forced recruitment by government forces and non-state armed groups ............................... 50 4.3.1 Forcible recruitment by the Inter-Services Intelligence for fighting in Indian- controlled Jammu and Kashmir ............................................................................................................................. 51 4.4 Treatment of military deserters ....................................................................................................................... 52 4.5 Human rights abuses by the armed forces and non-state armed groups .............................. 52 5 Rule of Law, Administration of Justice .............................................................................................................. 55 5.1 Access to legal remedies, impunity ................................................................................................................ 55 5.2 Due process, arrest and detention procedures ....................................................................................... 56 5.3 Prison conditions ....................................................................................................................................................... 58 5.4 Witness protection mechanisms ...................................................................................................................... 60 6 Ethnicity, citizenship and nationality ................................................................................................................... 61 6.1 Domestic legal framework and policies on citizenship, nationality and the protection of ethnic minorities .................................................................................................................................................................. 61 6.1.1 Domestic legal framework and policies on citizenship, nationality ..................................... 61 6.1.2 Domestic legal framework and policies on the protection of ethnic minorities .......... 62 6.2 Background information ....................................................................................................................................... 63 6.3 Status and treatment of members of minority ethnic groups ........................................................ 64 6.4 Situation of individuals without citizenship ................................................................................................ 67 6.5 Situation of Kashmiris displaced from Indian-administered Kashmir .......................................... 67 6.6 Citizenship and identity documentation ...................................................................................................... 70 6.6.1 Administrative procedures; obstacles in obtaining national identity documents .........71 7 Freedom of Religion .................................................................................................................................................... 73 7.1 Domestic legal framework (Constitution and legislation) .................................................................. 73 7.2 Treatment of members of religious groups ............................................................................................... 75 7.2.1 Ahmadi................................................................................................................................................................. 77 7.2.2 Christian .............................................................................................................................................................. 79 7.2.3 Hindu ..................................................................................................................................................................... 80 7.2.4 Sikh ......................................................................................................................................................................... 81 7.2.5 Baha’i ..................................................................................................................................................................... 81 7.2.6 Shia ......................................................................................................................................................................... 81 7.2.7 Sufi / Barelvi ..................................................................................................................................................... 85 3 7.3 Religious laws or edicts banning specific jobs, professions or livelihood activities .............. 86 8 Freedom of Expression and Association .......................................................................................................... 87 8.1 Domestic legal framework .................................................................................................................................. 87 8.1.1 Freedom of Expression ............................................................................................................................... 87 8.1.2 Freedom of Assembly and Association .............................................................................................. 89 8.2 Treatment of members and supporters of political opposition parties ...................................... 93 8.2.1 Treatment of members of the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) ......................... 95 8.3 Treatment of civil society, human rights and political activists ...................................................... 96 8.4 Treatment of journalists and other media professionals ................................................................... 97 9 Sexual orientation........................................................................................................................................................ 98 9.1 Domestic legal framework .................................................................................................................................. 98 9.2 Treatment of LGBTIQ persons .......................................................................................................................... 99 10 Women and children .................................................................................................................................................100 10.1 Domestic legal framework .................................................................................................................................100 10.1.1 Women ...............................................................................................................................................................100 10.1.2 Children ............................................................................................................................................................. 103 10.2 Situation of women ............................................................................................................................................... 105 10.3 Situation of children ............................................................................................................................................... 106 10.4 Honour killings .......................................................................................................................................................... 107 10.5 Trafficking in persons ........................................................................................................................................... 108 11 Freedom of Movement ............................................................................................................................................. 109 11.1 Freedom to move within Kashmir, freedom to move from Pakistani-administered Kashmir to Pakistan ......................................................................................................................................................... 109 11.2 Imposition of travel restrictions for certain groups and in certain areas, including documentation needed for international travel............................................................................................... 109 12 Further human rights considerations ................................................................................................................. 111 12.1 Exit and entry procedures: exit from and return to Pakistan and to Kashmir ...................... 111 12.2 Treatment of persons returning from abroad ......................................................................................... 112 12.3 Internal displacement .............................................................................................................................................113 12.4 Housing, land and property rights ................................................................................................................. 114 13 Sources ............................................................................................................................................................................. 115 4 List of Abbreviations AJK, AJ&K - (Pakistan-controlled) Azad Jammu & Kashmir APHC - All Parties Hurriyat Conference APNA - All Parties National Alliance CBM - confidence-building measures GB - Gilgit-Baltistan GBC - Gilgit-Baltistan Council GBDA - Gilgit Baltistan Democratic Alliance GBESGO - Gilgit-Baltistan Empowerment and Self-Governance Order GBLA - Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly GBUM Gilgit Baltistan United Movement HM - Hizbul Mujahideen ISI - Inter-Services Intelligence J&K – Jammu and Kashmir JKLF - Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front JKNAP - Jammu Kashmir National Awami Party JKNLF - Jammu Kashmir National Liberation Front JKNSF - Jammu Kashmir National Students Federation JKPF - Jammu Kashmir Plebiscite Front JKPNP - Jammu Kashmir People’s National Party JKSLF - Jammu Kashmir Students Liberation Front JuD - Jamaat-ud-Dawa JuF - Jamaat ul-Furqan JUIF, JUI-F - Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazal u Rehaman KA&NA – Kashmir Affairs & Northern Areas KP - Khyber Pakhtunkhwa KuI - Khuddam ul-Islam LeT - Lashkar-e-Taiba LoC - Line of Control MQM - Mutahida Qaumi Movement NALC - Northern Areas Legislative Council PAJK - Pakistan-administered Jammu and Kashmir PaK, PAK - Pakistan-administered Kashmir PML-N - Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz PML-Q - Pakistan Muslim League Quaid-e-Azam PoK, POK – Pakistan-occupied Kashmir PPP - Pakistan Peoples Party TJ – Tehreek-e-Jafaria UNMOGIP - UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan 5 The area designated „Northern Areas“ on this map is referred to as “Gilgit-Baltistan” as of 2009. Source:  The University of Texas at Austin, University of Texas Libraries: The Disputed Area of Kashmir, 2003 http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/middle_east_and_asia/kashmir_disputed_2003.jpg 6 1 Background Information 1.1 Government structures and political system Gilgit-Baltistan (formerly known as the “Northern Areas”) and Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK, also Azad Kashmir or “Free Kashmir”) form the part of Kashmir that is located on the Pakistani side of the line of demarcation drawn between Pakistan and India (“Line of Control”). Both Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir are controlled by Pakistan but not officially regarded as being part of Pakistani territory. Gilgit-Baltistan obtained partial autonomy in September 2009 after having previously been ruled by the central government in Islamabad. Azad Kashmir likewise enjoys autonomy but is financially dependent on the central government (German Foreign Office, March 2012). The political systems of Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir are described as being different from those of the rest of Pakistan and both areas have no representation in the national parliament (USDOS, 8 April 2011, section 3). 1.1.1 Azad Kashmir (AJK Legislative Assembly, Prime Minister, President) Azad Kashmir has a constitution and an elected government of its own. However, its independent status is described by the International Crisis Group (ICG) as being “only nominal” (ICG, 3 June 2010, p. 7). A further report by the ICG, dated May 2012, states: “The AJK Council, headed by Pakistan’s prime minister, formally has the power to override laws passed by AJK’s elected legislature, and the AJK judiciary cannot review its decisions. However, though the Council is ostensibly all-powerful, it has very little authority in practice, because the military exercises almost complete control over the territory.” (ICG, 3 May 2012, p. 19-20) The US Department of State (USDOS) notes with regard to legislative and government structures in Azad Kashmir: “Azad Kashmir has an interim constitution, an elected unicameral assembly, a prime minister, and a president who is elected by the assembly. Both the president and legislators serve five-year terms. Of the 49 assembly seats, 41 are filled through direct elections, and eight are reserved seats (five for women and one each for representatives of overseas Kashmiris, technocrats, and religious leaders).” (USDOS, 8 April 2011, section 3) The Azad Kashmir Legislative Assembly consists of 41 elected members and eight co-opted members, of whom five represent women, and one member from each of the following groups: Ullema-e-Din or Mushaikh (religious scholars), technocrats and other professionals, and persons from Jammu and Kashmir residing abroad. Since 1975, the Prime Minister, who is the chief executive of Azad Kashmir, has been elected by the members of the Legislative Assembly. The President is the constitutional head under the Interim Constitution Act of 1974 (Legislative Assembly of Azad Jammu & Kashmir, undated a). 7 Jane’s Information group, a US publishing group specialized in military issues, notes in its Sentinel Security Risk Assessment for Pakistan, dated April 2011: ”AJK is still governed by the 1974 interim constitution (the constitution is designated interim by the Assembly as AJK is not yet independent) that allows for limited self- government through a president, prime minister and state council, although in reality power ultimately rests with the central government in Islamabad.” (Jane’s, 26 April 2011) 1.1.2 Gilgit-Baltistan (Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly, Chief Minister, Governor) An April 2012 report published on the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP) outlines the administrative divisions of Gilgit-Baltistan as follows: “Ruled under the Gilgit-Baltistan (Empowerment and Self-Governance) Order 2009, passed on September 9, 2009, GB is administratively divided into two divisions, Gilgit and Baltistan. These, in turn, are divided into seven Districts, including the five in Gilgit – Gilgit, Ghizer, Diamer, Astore, and Hunza-Nagar; and two in Baltistan – Skardu and Ghanche.” (SATP, 9 April 2012) Under the Gilgit-Baltistan Empowerment and Self-Governance Order (GBESGO), signed in September 2009 by Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari, those parts of the country hitherto known as the Northern Areas were renamed Gilgit-Baltistan and “afforded attributes of a province” although its residents still lack representation in the national parliament, as noted by the US Department of State (USDOS, 8 April 2011, section 3). The GBESGO of 2009 instituted a separate judiciary, legislature, and election commission for the region of Gilgit-Baltistan (USDOS, 8 April 2011, section 1e). The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) states in a January 2010 report that on 30 August 2009, the federal government approved a reform package for the Northern Areas which were renamed Gilgit-Baltistan (GB). On 7 September 2009, President Zardari signed the GBESGO which aimed to introduce administrative, political, financial and judicial reforms in Gilgit-Baltistan and replaced the Northern Areas Legal Framework Order (LFO) of 1994. The GBESGO of 2009 provides for the offices of Chief Minister and Governor of Gilgit-Baltistan, whose respective roles are describes as being “similar to those of their counterparts under the Constitution of Pakistan. The HRCP further adds that the prime minister of Pakistan, who acts as chairman of the Gilgit-Baltistan Council, becomes the region’s de facto president, since under Article 34 of the 2009 Order, the chairman is granted the “power to pardon and reprieve” sentences awarded by any court (HRCP, January 2010, p. 3-4). The August 2011 Freedom House (FH) report Freedom in the World on Pakistan-administered Kashmir notes that the Gilgit-Baltistan Empowerment and Self-Governance Order (GBESGO) of 2009 provided for a more powerful legislative body, i.e. the Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly (GBLA), which has the authority to choose the chief minister and introduce legislation on 61 subjects. The current political structure of Gilgit-Baltistan, as defined under the GBESGO, is described in the report as follows: 8 “Under the August 2009 GBESGO, Gilgit-Baltistan's political structure now includes the 33-member GBLA and a chief minister, as well as a 15-member Gilgit-Baltistan Council (GBC) headed by the Pakistani prime minister and vice-chaired by the federally appointed governor. The GBC consists of six members of the GBLA and nine Pakistani Parliament members appointed by the governor. The GBLA in turn is composed of 24 directly elected members, six seats reserved for women, and three seats reserved for technocrats; the reserved seats are filled through a vote by the elected members. Ultimate authority rests in the hands of the governor, who has significant powers over judicial appointments and whose decisions cannot be overruled by the GBLA. In addition, many financial powers remain with the GBC rather than the elected assembly. A majority of high-level positions in the local administration are reserved under the GBESGO for Pakistani bureaucrats, limiting local involvement in decision making.” (FH, 18 August 2011) In contrast to this, as regards the selection of Chief Ministers in GB, the Institute for Gilgit Baltistan Studies (IGBS), a US-based exile group committed to achieving de-militarization and autonomy in Gilgit-Baltistan, notes in an article dated August 2011 that “the chief ministers of Gilgit-Baltistan are selected by the president of Pakistan and therefore not answerable to the local people” (IGBS, 30 August 2011). In February 2012, Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister Mehdi Shah announced that the region would be divided into three divisions, the first of which should include Gilgit, Hunza-Nagar and Ghizer districts, while Astore and Diamer districts would be included in the second division. Baltistan would comprise the third division (Express Tribune, 1 February 2012). 1.2 Formal relation and distribution of powers between Pakistan’s federal government and the government structures in Azad Kashmir and Gilgit- Baltistan 1.2.1 Azad Kashmir A Fact-Finding Mission report by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, published in April/May 2010, provides the following overview of power relations between Azad Kashmir and the federal government: “The Constitution of Pakistan (Article 257) acknowledges the status of Jammu and Kashmir, stating that when the people of the State of Jammu and Kashmir decide to accede to Pakistan, the relationship between the two shall be determined in accordance with the wishes of the people of the State. The Azad Jammu and Kashmir Interim Constitution Act, 1974 provides for a parliamentary form of government based on a system of adult franchise. However, the AJK Interim Constitution gives essential powers to the Chief Executive of Pakistan, for example, laws cannot be enacted by the AJK Legislative Assembly regarding defence, security, currency, external affairs, foreign trade, foreign aid and several other items enumerated in the Third Schedule of the AJK Interim Constitution. Section 56 of the Interim Constitution gives the Government of Pakistan powers to take ‘such action as it may consider necessary or expedient for the effective discharge of’ responsibilities granted to Pakistan. 9