Restrictions on travel, if any, to Azad Kashmir (Pakistan Occupied Kashmir) from the rest of Pakistan [PAK33735.E]


On 7 March 2000 a representative of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) informed the Research Directorate that foreign diplomats in Pakistan need to have a Non-Objection Certificate (NOC) to travel to Azad Kashmir, but that an NOC is not difficult to obtain. Pakistanis do not require an NOC, and face no restrictions on travel to Azad Kashmir. While there is a police presence at the border between Azad Kashmir and the rest of Pakistan, they do not routinely stop vehicles. However, at times of increased tension between India and Pakistan, or sectarian violence, increased controls at the border of Azad Kashmir are to be expected (ibid.).