Former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has expressed his desire to become the prime minister of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Sharif, who is the chief of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party, said this will help him "personally oversee" development of the region, where elections will be held between July 27 and August 10.

He made the remarks during an election rally in Muzaffarabad on Tuesday.

India maintains that the entire Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh are integral and inalienable parts of India. New Delhi also asserts that Pakistan has been in "illegal and forcible occupation" of parts of these Union Territories.

India has lodged several protests with Pakistan on polls held in PoK and Gilgit-Baltistan, and does not recognise the so-called legislative assemblies in these occupied regions.

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Why does Nawaz Sharif want to become PoK PM?

Sharif, on Tuesday, asserted that PoK was as dear to him as his home province Punjab. "It is my second home. My ancestors migrated from Kashmir," he said. "If my party wins, I will ask PM Shehbaz Sharif to make me the prime minister of Kashmir (PoK) so that I can personally oversee the region's development," said Nawaz Sharif, the elder brother of the Pakistan prime minister. In the PoK polls, PML-N is contesting against the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), which is its coalition partner in the federal government.

Why does PoK have a separate Prime Minister?

The roots of this setup trace back to October 1947, following the partition of British India. When Pakistan-backed tribal forces invaded Jammu and Kashmir, Maharaja Hari Singh signed the Instrument of Accession with India, legally making the entire princely state an integral part of India. Unlike Punjab or Sindh, Pakistan chose never to formally annex PoK as a province. This was a calculated diplomatic manoeuvre. By maintaining PoK's “disputed” and superficially independent status, Islamabad aimed to keep the broader Kashmir conflict alive internationally without weakening its claim on the rest of the region.

(With inputs from agency)

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