Says Kashmiri migrants cannot be disenfranchised through pressure tactics
ISLAMABAD:
Amid ongoing tensions in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Defense Minister Khawaja Asif on Thursday urged the now-banned Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) to take its demand for removal of 12 refugee seats to the electorate, arguing that the issue should be resolved through democratic means rather than pressure tactics.
Addressing the National Assembly, Asif said the issue should be put to the voters in the upcoming AJK elections scheduled for July 27.
Speaking in the House, the Defense Minister called on the JAAC to “take the issue to the public” and seek a mandate on the matter.
He questioned why the group wanted the matter settled in advance, suggesting that such a move seemed aimed at shaping the composition of the assembly “according to their will”.
Asif pointed out that Kashmiri refugees settled in Pakistan had made huge sacrifices while migrating to the country and argued that no one had the power to demand removal of their right to vote.
“The AJK we have today is the result of the sacrifices made by the Pakistani armed forces and the people of the entire country, not just Kashmiris,” the defense minister said, asserting that 250 million Pakistanis had a “stake” in the region.
He said almost every Pakistani household had a story linked to the sacrifices made for Kashmir.
“It doesn’t mean anything? I don’t want to name names, but what have they sacrificed for Kashmir? They have no interest and have invested nothing in the liberation of Kashmir,” the defense minister said.
Cautioning against taking matters into its own hands, Asif said the government could not be expected to “remain silent” if the law was not followed.
Recalling his experience with Kashmiri refugees residing in his constituency, he said many of them had long been deprived of basic facilities such as electricity and gas due to uncertainty over their legal status. However, “we have finalized their status,” he said, adding that dialogue remained the only viable path forward.
“I wonder if this hatred was imported from across the border,” Asif said, apparently referring to the Line of Control (LoC).
The minister maintained that the identity and electoral rights of Kashmiri refugees cannot be taken away and insisted that any dispute on this issue should be debated and resolved in the Legislative Assembly.
“How could you exclude them from the electoral process?” » declared the Minister of Defense.
Asif further argued that the very status of ‘Azad’ Kashmir had been ensured and safeguarded due to Pakistan’s support and sacrifices.
“The word Azad would not have been there without Pakistan,” he said, adding that the soldiers stationed on the mountain peaks defending Kashmir came from across the country, including Punjabis, Baloch, Pashtuns and Sindhis.
