By Justice (R) Syed Manzoor Hussain Gillani
History often preserves the spirit of a nation in symbols, names, and moments that mark turning points. For Jammu and Kashmir, one such defining moment came in 1946, at the Kisan Mazdoor Conference in Anantnag, when a symbolic entrance gate was erected with the name “Azad Kashmir” written boldly across it. At first glance, it was just a gate. In reality, it was a gateway to an idea — the dream of a free homeland, carved out by the sweat of farmers and workers, and envisioned by those who sought emancipation from both feudal oppression and colonial dominance.
The Roots of a Name
The Kisan Mazdoor movement, led by progressive leaders such as Sardar Budh Singh and others, was more than a farmers’ agitation. It was a challenge to the exploitative structures that had defined life in the princely state. The conference in Anantnag was attended by peasants, labourers, and political activists, united under one demand: land, liberty, and dignity.
It was here that the term “Azad Kashmir” first appeared publicly, not as a political map but as a people’s slogan. The name captured the aspirations of a subjugated population yearning for control over its destiny. This was months before the subcontinent would be partitioned, yet the farmers of Kashmir had already sown the seed of a distinct identity.
From Anantnag to History
That symbolic gate, though temporary, became a marker in Kashmir’s political vocabulary. Within a year, as the princely state was engulfed by the turmoil of 1947, the same words — Azad Kashmir — became the official title of the liberated territories west of the ceasefire line. What was once a slogan at a workers’ conference became the adopted name of a political entity struggling for international recognition.
The name, however, was not born out of power politics alone. It reflected a wider socio-economic demand: the emancipation of Kashmiri peasants from Jagirdars and Maharajas, and the empowerment of the common man.
The Unfinished Promise
But names carry burdens. While “Azad Kashmir” signified liberty, the reality on the ground has remained far from free. The territory that took its name from the dreams of workers and peasants soon became entangled in the larger Indo-Pak conflict. The UNCIP resolutions, wars, and divided administrations turned the people’s slogan into a disputed label.
Today, the identity crisis is stark. On one side, India has stripped Jammu and Kashmir of its special status, merging it into the Union as a centrally governed territory. On the other, Azad Kashmir remains constitutionally tethered to Pakistan through frameworks that limit its sovereignty. In both cases, the people of Jammu and Kashmir stand disempowered — their voices often subdued under the weight of external control.
Azad Yet Not Free?
The irony is painful. A name born out of the vision of workers and farmers now risks becoming hollow. Political institutions in Azad Kashmir operate within constraints; the diaspora that once championed the cause of self-determination watches with frustration; and youth, instead of inheriting the confidence of a proud identity, are left confused about their future.
The Kisan Mazdoor Gate of 1946 symbolized hope. Today, the gate appears closed. The question is not whether the name survives — it clearly does — but whether its spirit still breathes.
Reclaiming the Spirit of Azadi
If the people of Jammu and Kashmir are to overcome this identity crisis, they must reconnect with the original ethos of “Azad Kashmir”: people’s empowerment, social justice, and dignity of labour. True freedom lies not merely in territory or constitutions drafted elsewhere, but in ensuring that the will of Kashmiris is central to their governance.
As history reminds us, names are not empty markers. They are promises. The challenge before us is to redeem the promise embedded in the words Azad Kashmir — a promise made in Anantnag in 1946, but still awaiting fulfillment today.
