PoK Is 'Foreign Territory': Pakistan Makes Rare Admission To Islamabad High Court

Amid the tensions between India and Pakistan over Kashmir, the Pakistani government has made a rare admission that Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is a "foreign territory". Addressing the Islamabad High Court in the kidnapping case of Kashmiri poet and journalist Ahmed Farhad Sha, Pakistan has stated that it has no jurisdiction over PoK.

During the hearing, the counsel appearing for the Pakistan government stated that Farhad is under the custody of police in the PoK region and cannot be present as he is on "foreign land".

Ahmed Farhad Shah was kidnapped from his hime in Rawalpindi by Pakistan intelligence agencies on May 15. Following a petition by the journalist's wife, the Islamabad High Court called on Farhad Shah to be presented before the court.

To this, the Pakistan government responded that the poet-cum-journalist cannot be presented as Islamabad has he is under the custody of police in PoK, over which Pakistan does not have jurisdiction.

As per a report by Pakistan Today, the Additional Attorney General has stated that Kashmir is a foreign territory with its own constitution and its own courts, and judgements of Pakistani courts in POK appear as judgements of foreign courts.

In response to the Pakistan government's statement, Justice Kayani counters that if PoK is a "foreign territory" then how did Pakistani military and rangers enter the region to make arrests during the protests in May.

During the hearing, it was found that Ahmed Farhad Sha has been detained by Dhirkot Police and there are two cases filed against him in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Justice Kayani also slammed the country's intelligence services for carrying out the forced abductions of people.