Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) is a self-governing state under Pakistani control, but under
Pakistan's constitution the state is not actually part of the country as the dispute on Azad Kashmir is not yet been resolved.[
clarification needed]
[1][18] Azad Kashmir has its own elected
President,
Prime Minister,
Legislative Assembly,
High Court, with Khawaja Shahad Ahmad as its present chief justice, and official flag. The government of Pakistan has not yet allowed Azad Kashmir to issue its own postage stamps, meaning that those of Pakistan are used instead.
Brad Adams the Asia director at Human Rights Watch has said in 2006
Although ‘azad’ means ‘free,’ the residents of Azad Kashmir are anything but, The Pakistani authorities govern Azad Kashmir with strict controls on basic freedoms.
[19]
The Government of Azad Kashmir has very little control over its' territory, with its' politicians mainly spending their time in Islamabad.
[20]
Azad Kashmir's financial matters, i.e., budget and tax affairs, are dealt with by the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Council rather than by Pakistan's Central Board of Revenue. The Azad Jammu and Kashmir Council is a supreme body consisting of 11 members, six from the government of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and five from the government of Pakistan. Its chairman/chief executive is the president of Pakistan. Other members of the council are the president and the prime minister of Azad Kashmir and a few other AJK ministers.