Let people decide on refugee seats: Asif

Says Kashmiri migrants cannot be stripped of voting rights through pressure tactics

ISLAMABAD:

Amid continuing tensions in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Thursday urged the now-proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) to take its demand for the abolition of 12 refugee seats to the electorate, arguing that the issue should be settled through democratic means rather than pressure tactics.

Addressing the National Assembly, Asif said the matter should be placed before voters in the upcoming AJK elections scheduled for July 27.

Speaking on the floor of the House, the defence minister called on the JAAC to "take the issue to the public" and seek a mandate on the question.

He questioned why the group wanted the matter settled beforehand, suggesting that such a move appeared aimed at shaping the composition of the assembly "as per their will".

Asif stressed that Kashmiri refugees settled in Pakistan had made enormous sacrifices in migrating to the country and argued that no one had the authority to demand the removal of their voting rights.

"The AJK that we have today is due to the sacrifices made by the Pakistan armed forces and people from across the country, not just Kashmiris," the defence minister said, asserting that 250 million Pakistanis had a "stake" in the region.

He said virtually every Pakistani household had a story connected to sacrifices made for Kashmir.

"Does that mean nothing? I do not want to take names, but what have they sacrificed for Kashmir? They do not have any stake, nor have they invested anything in the liberation of Kashmir," the defence minister said.

Warning against taking matters into one's own hands, Asif said the government could not be expected to "stay silent" if the law was disregarded.

Recalling his experience with Kashmiri refugees residing in his constituency, he said many had long been deprived of basic facilities such as electricity and gas because of uncertainty surrounding their legal status. However, "we had their status finalised", he said, adding that dialogue remained the only viable path forward.

"I wonder if this hatred has been imported from across the line," Asif said, in an apparent reference to the Line of Control (LoC).

The minister maintained that the identity and electoral rights of Kashmiri refugees could not be taken away and insisted that any dispute over the issue should be debated and resolved within the Legislative Assembly.

"How could you exclude them from the electoral process?" the defence minister said.

Asif further argued that the very status of "Azad" Kashmir had been secured and safeguarded through Pakistan's support and sacrifices.

"The word Azad would not have been there if it were not for Pakistan," he said, adding that soldiers stationed on mountain peaks defending Kashmir came from across the country, including Punjabis, Baloch, Pashtuns and Sindhis.