Says Kashmiri migrants cannot be disenfranchised through clerical 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 voters, arguing that the issue should be resolved through democratic means rather than pressure tactics.
Addressing the National Assembly, Asif said the matter should be submitted to voters in the upcoming AJK elections scheduled for July 27.
Speaking on the floor, the Defense Minister called on the JAAC to “bring the issue to the public” and seek a mandate on the issue.
He questioned why the group wanted the matter settled in advance, suggesting that such a move appeared to be aimed at shaping the composition of the assembly “according to their will”.
Asif emphasized that Kashmiri refugees who settled in Pakistan had made huge sacrifices by 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 because of the sacrifices made by the Pakistan Armed Forces and people from across the country, not just Kashmir,” the defense minister said, claiming that 250 million Pakistanis had a “stake” in the region.
He said that virtually every Pakistani household had a history associated with victims of Kashmir.
“Does it mean nothing? I don’t want to take names, but what have they sacrificed for Kashmir? They have no stake, nor have they invested anything in the liberation of Kashmir,” the defense minister said.
Warning against taking matters into his own hands, Asif said the government could not be expected to “remain silent” if the law was flouted.
Recalling his experience with Kashmiri refugees living in his constituency, he said many had long been deprived of basic facilities such as electricity and gas due to uncertainty about their legal status. But “we had their status finalized”, he said, adding that dialogue remained the only viable way 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 voting rights of Kashmiri refugees could not be taken away and insisted that any dispute on the issue should be discussed and resolved in the legislature.
“How could 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 protected through Pakistan’s support and sacrifices.
“The word Azad wouldn’t have been there if it wasn’t for Pakistan,” he said, adding that soldiers stationed on mountaintops defending Kashmir came from all over the country, including Punjabis, Balochs, Pashtuns and Sindhis.
