Khawaja Asif defends comments on AJK unrest

ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Tuesday defended remarks he made about the ongoing unrest in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), saying his comments were “frank and honest” and accusing what he described as externally driven elements of trying to undermine Pakistan’s position on the disputed region.

In a post on social media platform X, Asif said attempts to portray his remarks negatively would not weaken Pakistan’s commitment to Kashmir.

“My remarks about the crisis in AJK were frank and honest,” Asif said. “Those who have sinister agendas may try to twist them but they cannot take Kashmir out of me or out of Pakistan, or take Pakistan out of Kashmir.”

The minister’s statement came a day after he defended the government’s handling of protests in AJK and accused India of seeking to destabilise Pakistan through Afghan territory, while reaffirming Islamabad’s support for peace along its western border.

In his post, Asif said the sacrifices of Kashmiris who migrated to Pakistan in October 1947 and those living in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir formed the foundation of the Kashmir cause.

He said the struggle in Indian-administered Kashmir against Indian rule had involved decades of sacrifices, including deaths and imprisonment, and reiterated Pakistan’s support for a United Nations-backed plebiscite and the right of self-determination for the people of Kashmir.

Asif also criticised what he called “externally driven” voices emerging from AJK that were speaking against Pakistan and the Kashmir cause, saying such narratives should be countered strongly.

He said residents of AJK, who had lived in relative peace for decades under the protection of Pakistan’s security forces, should recognise the sacrifices made by Kashmiris in Indian-administered Kashmir and those who migrated to Pakistan after the 1947 partition.

“Belittling these sacrifices is negating the Kashmir cause,” he said.

Asif added that, in his view, Kashmiri identity was defined by nearly eight decades of struggle and sacrifice by Pakistanis, including Kashmiris, rather than by “birth certificates.”

The latest remarks come amid heightened political tensions in AJK following onging protests and a government crackdown that has drawn criticism from opposition groups and prompted authorities to defend their actions as necessary to maintain law and order.