ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Tuesday that a foreign-funded organisation is attempting to pressure authorities over migrant seats in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), stating that decisions regarding these seats should be left to local residents and the migrant community.
Speaking in the National Assembly, Khawaja Asif referred to ongoing tensions between the regional administration and the banned Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), particularly over the demand to abolish 12 assembly seats reserved for refugees who migrated to Pakistan after 1947.
He urged the group to raise the matter in the upcoming AJK elections scheduled for July 27, instead of attempting to settle it in advance. He questioned whether such moves were aimed at shaping the assembly according to a particular agenda.
Asif stressed that Kashmiri refugees who settled in mainland Pakistan had made significant sacrifices and could not be deprived of their constitutional and electoral rights. He added that any attempt to remove their voting rights would be unjust.
He said that the current structure of AJK exists due to the sacrifices of Pakistan’s armed forces and citizens from across the country, arguing that the region holds national significance for all 250 million Pakistanis.
The minister maintained that Pakistan’s role in the region’s history and security was reflected in the sacrifices made by families nationwide.
Khawaja Asif also stressed that terrorism-related issues involving Afghanistan should not be politicised or used for point-scoring.
He added that Pakistan had hosted Afghan refugees for four decades and had engaged in multiple rounds of dialogue with Afghanistan on terrorism-related issues, including through mediation efforts involving Qatar and Türkiye, though without conclusive results.
Defence Minister stated that Pakistan had achieved a major diplomatic success, referring to recent international developments and agreements involving Iran and the United States.
He stated that such diplomatic progress had enhanced Pakistan’s global standing and was a matter of national pride.
Khawaja Asif also praised Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, saying that they had achieved what once seemed impossible.