Attique Ahmed Khan raises concerns over Azad Kashmir’s foundation day slogans

Rawalpindi: Former Azad Jammu and Kashmir prime minister and All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference president Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan has cautioned against any proposal to make Azad Kashmir a province of Pakistan arguing that such a move could undermine the disputed region’s identity and weaken Pakistan’s position on the Kashmir issue internationally.

Rawalpindi: Former Azad Jammu and Kashmir prime minister and All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference president Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan has cautioned against any proposal to make Azad Kashmir a province of Pakistan arguing that such a move could undermine the disputed region’s identity and weaken Pakistan’s position on the Kashmir issue internationally.

In an article written on October 30, 2026 at Mujahid Manzil in Rawalpindi Khan discussed the significance of Azad Kashmir’s Foundation Day and criticised what he described as changes in the ideological messaging of the regional government. He maintained that Kashmiris wanted accession to Pakistan but believed that incorporating only parts of the former princely state into Pakistan would contradict the position associated with Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

Khan said Azad Kashmir’s Foundation Day should not be treated as a routine official celebration. Instead he described it as a reminder of the unfinished Kashmir freedom movement and the region’s role as a base for the struggle for the liberation of the entire Jammu and Kashmir territory.

He recalled that the first Azad Kashmir government was established under the leadership of Sardar Muhammad Ibrahim Khan, with a six-member cabinet that included representatives of both local residents and refugees from Jammu and Kashmir. According to him this arrangement reflected the broader purpose and representative character of the government.

The former prime minister also raised objections to official advertisements issued for this year’s Foundation Day. He claimed that photographs of Quaid-e-Azam, Chaudhry Ghulam Abbas and Sardar Muhammad Ibrahim Khan along with the slogan “Kashmir Banega Pakistan”, had been omitted. He urged the Azad Kashmir government to clarify whether the omissions were accidental or deliberate.

Khan further criticised the use of the slogan “Kashmir is Pakistan” describing it as inappropriate in the context of the region’s political identity and the Kashmir dispute. He argued that maintaining a distinct Kashmiri identity was essential to preserving the position of the people of Jammu and Kashmir as a principal party to the dispute.

According to Khan the people of Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan and India are the three main parties to the issue. He warned that weakening the separate identity of Kashmiris could affect the international understanding of their right to self-determination.

He also referred to the August 5, 2019 Indian measures in occupied Jammu and Kashmir arguing that Pakistan should avoid any action that could be portrayed as similar to changes in the region’s constitutional or administrative status.

Khan called on the Azad Kashmir government to continue promoting the traditional slogan of “Kashmir Banega Pakistan” at official events. He also urged political leaders and policymakers to protect the unity of the former princely state and maintain support for the right to self-determination.

Concluding his argument Khan said the principles associated with Quaid-e-Azam’s description of Kashmir as Pakistan’s jugular vein and the slogan “Kashmir Banega Pakistan” should remain central to efforts for resolving the dispute and achieving lasting peace in South Asia.