A culture 5,000 years in the making could disappear in less than 30.

Born in the UK to a Rajput Chib Pahari-speaking family from Mirpur (Jammu, Occupied by Pakistan), Refat Yasmeen operates at the intersection of postcolonial trauma, oral history, and inclusive storytelling. She is the author of Emna’s Journey, a children’s book series bringing to life the cultural identity and heritage of Mirpur, Bhimber, and Kotli.

As a disabled artist and researcher, she works without apology or limitation — turning lived experience into creative, academic, and community impact that reaches across borders.

Following a successful career in film, media, and business consultancy, Refat retrained as a mental health nurse — a decision inspired by first-hand experience of how one compassionate professional can transform lives within failing systems. This insight revealed a wider, urgent need: to address unrecognised trauma, safeguard cultural memory, and create systemic change.

Her mission is clear — to reclaim erased histories, amplify unheard voices, and deliver projects with measurable social impact. From publishing and theatre to academic research, each initiative is designed to be culturally rooted, socially relevant, and funder-ready.

Research Trajectory and Future Direction

My research has developed through a non-linear but deeply grounded pathway that combines historical scholarship, community knowledge, and long-term observation. Rather than beginning with a formal doctoral programme, I have spent several years building an independent research foundation that examines the historical, political, and psychological dimensions of the Jammūvī diaspora in the United Kingdom.

Between 2016 and the present, I have been involved in sustained engagement with individuals and professional networks connected to Jammu (Occupied by Pakistan), particularly in relation to social and mental health conditions affecting communities in the region. During this period, I gathered extensive observations, notes, and contextual knowledge through discussions with practitioners and community members. This experience provided valuable insight into the social realities of the region and the broader historical circumstances that shape the lives of people from Jammu.

In parallel with this experiential knowledge, my academic work has focused on reconstructing the historical foundations of Jammu, particularly through research on the Chib dynasty and the historical governance structures of the region. This work addresses a significant gap in the existing literature, where the history of Jammu and its associated dynasties has often been overshadowed by narratives centred primarily on the Kashmir Valley. By documenting the Chib lineage and the historical political structures of Bhimber and the surrounding areas, my research establishes an important historical framework for understanding the social and political development of the region.

Through a series of scholarly articles, I have sought to lay down a coherent intellectual foundation that connects historical analysis with contemporary questions of identity and diaspora experience. This work explores how political developments in the region, including the transformation of governance structures in Jammu and the resulting integration of the territory into Pakistani political frameworks, have contributed to ongoing identity ambiguity within diaspora communities abroad. For many individuals originating from Mirpur, Bhimber, and Kotli, these historical and political dynamics continue to shape how identity is understood and expressed within the United Kingdom.

My current body of work therefore operates at the intersection of history, diaspora studies, and mental health research. By documenting the historical structures of Jammu and the social consequences of political change, my research establishes the intellectual groundwork necessary for examining how these historical processes continue to influence diaspora communities today.

The next stage of my research aims to build upon this foundation through practical engagement with the Jammūvī diaspora in the United Kingdom, particularly in relation to mental health and wellbeing. While the historical and conceptual framework is now being established through my publications, the future direction of this research involves working more directly with community members in order to explore how historical memory, identity uncertainty, and migration experiences influence mental health outcomes across generations.

This future phase would involve structured community-based research with members of the diaspora community, with the aim of better understanding the lived experiences of individuals whose family histories are connected to Jammu. The objective is not only to contribute to academic scholarship, but also to highlight the mental health challenges that can arise within communities whose histories and identities have often remained underrepresented in mainstream research.

In this way, my work seeks to move from the establishment of a historical and theoretical foundation toward a more applied research programme that engages directly with community wellbeing. The intention is to combine historical scholarship with practical research that contributes both to academic understanding and to wider discussions around diaspora identity, cultural recognition, and mental health within the United Kingdom.

This work forms the foundation for future collaborative research with universities and community organisations addressing the mental health of the Jammūvī diaspora in the United Kingdom. 

Jammu’s heritage is vanishing — in the UK and in Jammu itself. We must act now.

Jammui'yat is disappearing. In the UK, mislabelling and language loss threaten to erase it from diaspora life. In Jammu, Pakistani government dam projects are flooding ancestral lands and destroying heritage.

Without urgent intervention, much of this culture — at home and abroad — will vanish within a generation.