ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Tuesday defended his recent remarks on the political situation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), saying they had been “frank and honest,” while accusing elements pursuing “external agendas” of attempting to distort his comments.
In a statement posted on X, Asif said those with “sinister agendas” could neither separate Kashmir from Pakistan nor Pakistan from Kashmir.
“The sacrifices of Kashmiris who migrated to Pakistan in October 1947 are etched in history,” he said, adding that the struggle of people in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) against Indian rule over the past 78 years had been marked by martyrdom, imprisonment and unwavering resistance.
The defence minister said Pakistan’s commitment to the Kashmir cause was reflected in the sacrifices of its martyrs in five wars and in its consistent support for the right to self-determination through a UN-mandated plebiscite.
Referring to recent developments in AJK, Asif said voices emerging from the region that were influenced by “external and malicious agendas” and directed against Pakistan and the Kashmir cause should be confronted firmly.
He said the people of Azad Kashmir, who have lived in peace for decades, should recognize the sacrifices made by Kashmiris in IIOJK as well as those who migrated to Pakistan following the events of 1947. “Belittling these sacrifices amounts to undermining the Kashmir cause,” he added.
Asif concluded by saying that, in his view, Kashmiriyat is defined not by birth certificates but by the sacrifices and struggles made over nearly eight decades by Kashmiris and Pakistanis alike.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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