- Himalayan Politics Journal, Vol # 2, Issue # 1
- The Architecture of a Grievance: A Thematic Analysis of Governance Failure and the AJK Electricity-Tariff Dispute
The Architecture of a Grievance: A Thematic Analysis of Governance Failure and the AJK Electricity-Tariff Dispute
- Alham Tariq/
- June 10, 2026
Keywords
This research analyzes the mass 2024 social mobilization in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), led by the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), as a critical case study demonstrating a fundamental failure in governance structures. The primary grievance concerns high electricity tariffs in the region hosting the Mangla Dam. This study posits that the dispute is not merely economic but is symptomatic of a profound political and institutional crisis stemming from a fractured social contract. A qualitative, desk-based thematic analysis methodology is utilized, examining a curated body of documents. This corpus includes AJK's constitutional and legal frameworks, federal regulatory orders, judicial rulings, and the JAAC's 38-Point Charter of Demands. The investigation is structured by a conceptual framework that integrates theories of the social contract, operationalized governance failure, and the hydroelectric resource curse. Findings indicate the governance failure rests upon three interconnected foundations. First is persistent institutional ambiguity, which fosters a "black hole" of legal accountability between AJK and federal bodies. Second is a fundamental narrative conflict that pits the state's technocratic "national logic" (focused on cost recovery and uniform tariffs) against the movement's moral "extraction narrative" (rooted in historical sacrifice and distributive justice). Third is a 60-year-old policy vacuum, originating from an obsolete 1960s compact for the Mangla Dam's displaced population that has not been superseded by a contemporary benefit-sharing agreement. This study concludes that the JAAC's demands, especially for electricity at its "cost of production," represent a rational effort to compel a renegotiation of this fractured social contract. Consequently, the crisis cannot be remedied with temporary financial subsidies, as these merely address symptoms. A lasting resolution necessitates a new, permanent political and institutional compact to restore state legitimacy.
How to cite
Tariq, A. (2026). The Architecture of a Grievance: A Thematic Analysis of Governance Failure and the AJK Electricity-Tariff Dispute. Himalayan Politics Journal, 2(1). https://politics.thrip.org/website/journal/article/6a29a1ca8228f/page
Retrieved from https://politics.thrip.org/website/journal/article/6a29a1ca8228f/page
More citation formats
- ACM SIG Proceedings
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[1]Tariq, A. 2026. The Architecture of a Grievance: A Thematic Analysis of Governance Failure and the AJK Electricity-Tariff Dispute. Himalayan Politics Journal. 2, 1 (June 2026).
- ACS Nano
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(1)Tariq, A. The Architecture of a Grievance: A Thematic Analysis of Governance Failure and the AJK Electricity-Tariff Dispute. Himalayan Politics Journal 2026, 2 (1).
- ABNT
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TARIQ, Alham. The Architecture of a Grievance: A Thematic Analysis of Governance Failure and the AJK Electricity-Tariff Dispute. Himalayan Politics Journal, v. 2, n. 1, 10 June2026.
- Chicago (author-date)
- Harvard (Cite Them Right)
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Tariq, A. (2026) “The Architecture of a Grievance: A Thematic Analysis of Governance Failure and the AJK Electricity-Tariff Dispute”, Himalayan Politics Journal, 2(1). Available at: https://politics.thrip.org/website/journal/article/6a29a1ca8228f/page (Accessed: 13 June 2026).
- IEEE
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[1]A. Tariq, “The Architecture of a Grievance: A Thematic Analysis of Governance Failure and the AJK Electricity-Tariff Dispute”, Himalayan Politics Journal, vol. 2, no. 1, June 2026, Accessed: June 13, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://politics.thrip.org/website/journal/article/6a29a1ca8228f/page
- MLA
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Tariq, Alham. “The Architecture of a Grievance: A Thematic Analysis of Governance Failure and the AJK Electricity-Tariff Dispute”. Himalayan Politics Journal, vols. 2, no. 1, June 2026, https://politics.thrip.org/website/journal/article/6a29a1ca8228f/page.
- Turabian (full note bibliography)
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Tariq, Alham. “The Architecture of a Grievance: A Thematic Analysis of Governance Failure and the AJK Electricity-Tariff Dispute”. Himalayan Politics Journal 2, no. 1 (June 10, 2026). Accessed June 13, 2026. https://politics.thrip.org/website/journal/article/6a29a1ca8228f/page.
- Vancouver
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1.Tariq A. The Architecture of a Grievance: A Thematic Analysis of Governance Failure and the AJK Electricity-Tariff Dispute. Himalayan Politics Journal [Internet]. 2026 June 10 [cited 2026 June 13];2(1). Available from: https://politics.thrip.org/website/journal/article/6a29a1ca8228f/page
- AMA
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1.Tariq A. The Architecture of a Grievance: A Thematic Analysis of Governance Failure and the AJK Electricity-Tariff Dispute. Himalayan Politics Journal. 2026;2(1). Accessed June 13, 2026. https://politics.thrip.org/website/journal/article/6a29a1ca8228f/page
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Author(s):
Alham Tariq
AuthorStudent of International Relations, University of Central Punjab, Lahore
Pakistan
Details:
| Type: | Article |
| Volume: | 2 |
| Issue: | 1 |
| Language: | English |
| Id: | 6a29a1ca8228f |
| Published | June 10, 2026 |
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