UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Why are there protests in PoK?
Q1. Under the Azad Jammu & Kashmir Interim Constitution Act, 1974, who serves as the ex-officio Chairman of the Azad Jammu & Kashmir Council, the body that has long been a focal point of grievance in the recent PoK protests?
- A. The President of Pakistan
- B. The Prime Minister of Pakistan
- C. The Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan
- D. The Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan
Q2. Which one of the following is the principal civil-society umbrella that spearheaded the region-wide shutter-down and wheel-jam strike across Pakistan-occupied Jammu & Kashmir beginning 29 September 2025?
- A. Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM)
- B. Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP)
- C. Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC)
- D. Awami National Party (ANP)
Q3. With reference to how the 2025 protests in Pakistan-occupied Jammu & Kashmir differed from the 2024 protests in the same region, consider the following statements:
1. The immediate trigger of the 2024 protests was the withdrawal of wheat/flour subsidies and a steep electricity tariff hike, whereas the 2025 agitation was driven by a broader 38-point Charter of Demands.
2. Unlike the 2024 protests, the 2025 Charter of Demands explicitly sought abolition of the 12 seats in the AJK Legislative Assembly reserved for Kashmiri refugees and payment of royalty on AJK's hydropower projects.
3. The 2025 protests, unlike those of 2024, were led for the first time by the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC), which had no role in the 2024 agitation.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- The immediate trigger of the 2024 protests was the withdrawal of wheat/flour subsidies and a steep electricity tariff hike, whereas the 2025 agitation was driven by a broader 38-point Charter of Demands.
- Unlike the 2024 protests, the 2025 Charter of Demands explicitly sought abolition of the 12 seats in the AJK Legislative Assembly reserved for Kashmiri refugees and payment of royalty on AJK's hydropower projects.
- The 2025 protests, unlike those of 2024, were led for the first time by the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC), which had no role in the 2024 agitation.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 2 and 3 only
- C. 1 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q4. How many points figure in the Charter of Demands pressed by the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC) during the 2025 Pakistan-occupied Jammu & Kashmir agitation?
Q5. Which federal ministry of Pakistan is the nodal authority that negotiated with the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee during the 2025 PoK agitation and operationally handles Azad Jammu & Kashmir affairs?
- A. Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- B. Ministry of Interior
- C. Ministry of Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan
- D. Ministry of States and Frontier Regions