Minister Khawaja Asif has said that the demand to abolish the 12 seats of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Assembly that are elected from Pakistan is equivalent to sabotaging the electoral process.
In a post on his X (Twitter) account, he wrote that elections in Azad Kashmir are scheduled for July 27, and an action committee has demanded that the 12 seats in the Kashmir Assembly elected from Pakistan be abolished. He said that raising such a demand before the elections is equivalent to sabotaging the electoral process.
He added that democratic thinking requires that those making such demands should present the matter to the public on July 7 and allow the people to decide and shape the form of representation. He said this would be a democratic approach; otherwise, it would be considered blackmail.
Khawaja Asif further said that there is a complete constituency of the Kashmir Assembly in Sialkot city and tehsil, and Pakistan’s National Assembly also has two constituencies there, while other constituencies of the Kashmir Assembly are spread across Pakistan.
He noted that a large number of Kashmiri refugees in Pakistan are from Jammu. In October 1947, more than two hundred thousand refugees settled in Sialkot city and tehsil after sacrificing their lives, while countless women were subjected to violence and thousands of daughters were abducted.
He questioned how these refugees could be deprived of their rights.
The minister further said that these refugees spent decades in extremely difficult conditions, deprived of basic necessities of life. They have paid a very heavy price for freedom.
He said that those who want their opinion accepted should adopt a democratic path.
Also Read: Azad Kashmir finally gets election date
