Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) is the Indian government's official term for the part of the erstwhile princely state of Jammu and Kashmir that has been under Pakistan's control since the 1947-1948 Indo-Pakistani War. It is a concept asserting India's territorial sovereignty over the region. The conflict originated when Maharaja Hari Singh signed the Instrument of Accession to India in October 1947, following an invasion by Pashtun tribesmen supported by the Pakistani Army. The subsequent war ended with a United Nations-mediated ceasefire line, which became the Line of Control (LoC), dividing the state.
India maintains that the entire region, including POK, is an integral part of the Union of India by virtue of the 1947 Instrument of Accession. Pakistan administers the territory in two parts: Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), which has a nominal government under the Azad Kashmir Provisional Constitution Act, 1974, and Gilgit-Baltistan, which is governed more directly by Islamabad. The Indian Parliament unanimously adopted a resolution on February 22, 1994, which reaffirmed that Jammu and Kashmir "has been, is and shall be an integral part of India" and demanded that Pakistan "must vacate the areas of the Indian State of Jammu and Kashmir under its occupation". This resolution remains the official long-term policy marker on the issue. The Indian government's claim is also reflected in the reservation of 24 seats in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly for representatives from POK. The status of the region connects to the broader Kashmir conflict and the now-revoked Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, which had granted special status to the former State of Jammu and Kashmir until August 5, 2019.