ABSTRACT
The chapter analyses legal ramifications within the constitutional framework of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) with respect to Pakistan after the introduction of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Interim Constitution Act (AJKIC) (1974), which remains in force to date. Like all other legislation, it was imposed on the Azad Kashmiris by the Government of Pakistan. The constitutional structure of AJK authorities is shaped in a manner that gives the upper hand to the decision makers in Islamabad. The Interim Constitution treats AJK as a temporary solution, drawing upon earlier United Nations (UN) resolutions and reiterates there that the legal status of the territories is yet to be determined; ergo, they cannot be treated as an integral part of Pakistan. Contrary to these implications, in various other ways, Pakistani laws treat the territories as an integral part of Pakistan's territory, despite all the vagueness of the constitutional, legal regulations but held suspended in a legal limbo when it comes to the citizen rights of the residents.
