Says Kashmiri migrants cannot be stripped of voting rights through pressure tactics
ISLAMABAD:
Amid continuing 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 abolition of 12 refugee seats to the electorate, arguing that the issue should be resolved through democratic means instead of pressure tactics.
Addressing the National Assembly, Asif said the issue should be raised before 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 issue.
He questioned why the group wanted the matter resolved beforehand, suggesting that such a move seemed aimed at shaping the assembly’s composition “according to their will.”
Asif emphasized that Kashmiri refugees settled in Pakistan had made enormous sacrifices by migrating to the country and argued that no one had the authority to demand the removal of their voting rights.
“The AJK we have today is because of the sacrifices made by Pakistan’s armed forces and people across the country, not just Kashmiris,” the Defense Minister said, stating that 250 million Pakistanis had “a stake” in the region.
He said almost every Pakistani home had a story related to the sacrifices made for Kashmir.
“Does that mean nothing? I don’t want to name names, but what have they sacrificed for Kashmir? They have no interest nor have they invested anything in the liberation of Kashmir,” the defense minister said.
Warning against taking matters into one’s own hands, Asif said the government cannot be expected to “remain silent” if the law is ignored.
Recalling his experience with Kashmiri refugees residing in his constituency, he said many of them had long been deprived of basic amenities like electricity and gas due to uncertainty over their legal status. However, “we have finalized its status,” he said, adding that dialogue remains the only viable way forward.
“I wonder if this hatred has been imported from the other side of the line,” Asif said, in apparent reference to the Line of Control (LoC).
The minister maintained that identity and electoral rights cannot be taken away from Kashmiri refugees and insisted that any dispute over the issue should be debated and resolved in the Legislative Assembly.
“How can you exclude them from the electoral process?” said the defense minister.
Asif further argued that the very status of “Azad” Kashmir had been secured and safeguarded thanks to Pakistan’s support and sacrifices.
“The word Azad would not have existed if it were not for Pakistan,” he said, adding that the soldiers stationed on the mountain tops defending Kashmir came from all over the country, including Punjabis, Balochs, Pashtuns and Sindhis.
