Impact assessment

It has always been hard to quantify advocacy work and make its impact assessment. However, in this case, on the basis of strong evidence, it can be said with confidence that the CPDR Report and subsequent interaction with the opinion leaders in the form of divisional level dialogues has certainly left its mark in AJK and largely changed the talking points in local politics. Some instances of such accounts are as follows:

High profile participation:
In almost all such meetings high profile political leadership of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, former as well as serving senior government officials, former judges, lawyers and civil society actors, not only attended the meetings, but also enthusiastically participated in the deliberations. Besides the top leadership of major opposition parties, the ruling party PPP was also represented in the meetings through one of the senior most leaders, a minister and an advisor to the Government. It shows that CPDR’s efforts in motivating the top political leadership of AJK to participate in the deliberations met with great success.

These key political and social figures publically lauded the CPDR’s report and urged its management to carry forward this important work as only CPDR has provided a neutral and effective platform to all shades of opinion in the AJK civil society to freely and systematically express their views which will help them a great deal to arrive at a consensus.

Abdur Rashid Turabi, President Jammat-e-Islami Azad Jammu and Kashmir offered to host a similar meeting in district Bagh, his hometown. Former Prime Minster and President of Muslim League (N) Raja Farooq Hiader Khan resolved to introduce a private members bill in the AJK Assembly based on the recommendations made in the CPDR report.

Numerous messages of encouragement and appreciation through text, telephone and emails were received wherein CPDR was urged to vigorously peruse the matter further.

Change in discourse:
CPDR’s Report and follow up debate has made a rather dramatic change in the talking points of the political leadership at all levels and that of media. The major opposition party Pakistan Muslim League-N has taken maximum benefit of the report. PML-N is seeking comprehensive constitutional reforms in and out of the Assembly.

A few weeks after CPDR’s Islamabad meeting (Jan 14, 2012) the AJK government had introduced 12th Constitutional amendment bill aimed at raising the strength of AJK Council members, from six to 14. The bill obviously was meant only to accommodate/adjust a few more vocal political figures of AJK thus reducing criticism on the working of the Act 1974, in particular the AJK Council.

However the bill was opposed by the opposition parties and civil society actors equipped with the findings of the CPDR’s report, stating that any amendments in the constitution of AJK should be comprehensive keeping in view the consensus which was building up in the aftermath of the CPDR report. Likewise, local media also openly opposed with the suggestion that the initiative may be deferred and a committee formed to study the issue in further detail, seeking a consensus.

Finally, AJK Government had to withdraw the constitutional amendment bill from the joint sitting of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly and the Kashmir Council on February 6, 2012. The Government announced to bring a comprehensive amendment package in consultation with all political parties.

Interestingly, just couple of months after the report launch Mian Manzoor Ahmad Wattoo, then Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan stated that Kashmir Council had no executive authority and its role was merely limited to coordination between Governments of Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. He expressed these views as a chief guest on the occasion of oath taking ceremony of central bar association in Muzaffarabad.

(http://www.sananews.net/urdu/archives/89151). This news made headlines in AJK press and a few newspapers wrote editorials about it saying that either Mr. Wattoo was befooling people of AJK or he was ignorant.

Senior Minister Chaudhry Muhammad Yasin, in a recent seminar organized by the Islamic ideology Council, for the first time publically acknowledged the necessity to bring about amendments in Act 1974.

Word of mouth:
The secretary to AJK Council is reported to have conceded before his colleagues that the findings and conclusion of the CPDR report were absolutely correct but being employees of the Council, it was their duty to prepare as good a defence as possible and that he himself would take the meetings for the preparation of point to point answers.

It was also reported that chief secretary of AJK government has kept a copy of the report handy and has discussed it at length with his superiors in the Governments of Pakistan and AJK.

Pakistan Muslim League Q leader, Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed and Chairman of the Senate Defence Committee is reported to have shown great deal of interest in the CPDR report stating that unfair and lopsided provisions in the AJK constitution should not be allowed to continue.

Media attention:
The report generated quite reasonable interest among media particularly Urdu media had given a very impressive coverage to the CPDR events held in Islamabad, Mirpur and Muzaffarabad respectively during Jan-April 2012. Additionally, daily Dawn, The Tribune, The Nation, Pakistan Observer, daily Jang, daily Nawa-e-waqat, daily Khabrain and daily Express gave reasonable coverage to the CPDR events. Azad Kashmir based newspapers such as daily Dharti, Kashmir Express, daily Jammu and Kashmir and Sadiachanar published CPDR’s events news very prominently and also ran columns and editorials on the subject. Simultaneously, newspapers across the Line of Control (LoC) also published news item.

Prominent writers such as Mr. Rashid Malik wrote a column in daily Nawa-e-waqat, Syed Arif Bahir wrote a column in leading weekly Akhbar-e-Jehan (http://www.akhbar-e-jehan.com/May2012/14-05-2012/politics11.asp#.T7tB33R_vfo.facebook May 14-20, 2012) about CPDR function in Muzaffarabad. Mr. Zulfiqar Abbasi published an article in The News on Aug 17, 2011 titled “Why Azad Kashmir lags”. Mr. Ershad Mahmud wrote an article based on the finding of the report in English daily The News titled “Empower Azad Kashmir”. (http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-9-61242-Empower-Azad-Kashmir).

The state run Pakistan Television (PTV) also ran a programme on the need of constitutional reforms wherein Finance Minister AJK Chaudhary Latif Akbar and CPDR Executive Director Ershad Mahmud participated. It is considered a major breakthrough as first time a state owned media outlet debated on this subject which has long been considered a no go area. To watch interview click at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tYfLDYrus0. In January 2012, just a few days after the CPDR’s meeting BBC Urdu Service published a story on the same subject. Keep in mind that author of the story also took part of the Islamabad meeting.

Encouraged by CPDR noted writer AH Nizami published in daily Tribune entitled “Real empowerment: Kashmiris seek amendments to interim constitution of the state” on April 10, 2012. (http://tribune.com.pk/story/362135/real-empowerment-kashmiris-seek-amendments-to-interim-constitution-of-the-state/).

Some of the serious studies such as PILDAT’s paper titled “Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir Political and Legal Conflict” September 2011 extensively mentioned the CPDR’s report. (http://www.pildat.org/Publications/publication/Conflict_Management/Pakistan-AJKPoliticoLegalConflictSep2011.pdf).

Additionally, on social media lots of people have been taking about the points raised in the CPDR’s report. It also helped to widen the grass root understanding on the subject which is key to put pressure on the political leadership to make changes in the constitution according to the wishes of the people.

Major success
Finally, the sustained campaign and lobbying bore fruit. The government of Azad Kashmir constituted a eight member committee from all parliamentary parties to prepare recommendation to reform constitution in early 2012.

In June 2015, a consensus resolution was tabled in the AJK assembly to drastically amend Act 1974 and empower AJK government. Some of key suggestions were taken from the CPDR’s report as it is. Detailed news can be viewed at: http://www.dawn.com/news/1190314
Though, this resolution has not been approved by the assembly so far but is considered a step toward the empowerment.