On 16^th March, 2026, Dr. Syed Asif Hussain, former Additional Chief Secretary AJK, gave an informative lecture to the participants of 39^th SMC on “Socio-Cultural Diversities within Azad Jammu and Kashmir and their Impact on Public Service Management”. Dr. Syed Asif has over 30 years’ experience in the fields of development planning and project management. He served as Secretary Planning, Secretary Agriculture and in other positions in AJK. He is a PhD and has done Post Doctoral Courses from Harvard University, USA and Maastricht School of Management, Netherlands.

Dr. Syed Asif Hussain explained the long-term repercussions of Kashmir dispute. He also discussed constitutional status and administrative setup of AJK under the Chief Secretary. He shared that AJK is an egalitarian society, with every Kashmiri family owning some land. He also disclosed that the people of AJK had higher literacy and educational standards as compared to rest of Pakistan. He discussed some immediate challenges facing Kashmiris such as the high rate of unemployment and the rapid rise in population.

Dr. Syed Asif Hussain concluded his discussion by reinforcing that Kashmir is being ignored on the global stage and it is high time Pakistan brought the focus back to the Kashmir issue and push for a resolution.