Khawaja Asif comes under fire in NA for 'sweeping statement' regarding Kashmiris

The PPP on Wednesday took exception to a “sweeping statement” by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif regarding the people of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). In an interview on a TV show, the minister had said that Rawalakot — which has been in the grip of protests by the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) — is “not Kashmir” and that he did not consider people from there Kashmiris. Asif had subsequently taken to X to clarify that “Kashmiriat is defined by the sacrifices and struggles waged over almost eight decades by Pakistanis, including Kashmiris and all others, not by birth certificates”. Speaking in the National Assembly on Wednesday, PPP’s Raja Pervaiz Ashraf said that such a “sweeping statement” should not be given under any circumstances, especially from such a “senior” official. He said that Asif’s remarks had hurt the sentiments of several people, adding that Azad Kashmir was a “sensitive area” and care needed to be taken before making remarks about it. He said that “water needed to be poured onto the fire” to address the problems of the Kashmiris. He acknowledged that the government and establishment were trying their best to address the issues of the region. He said that giving such “irresponsible remarks” was detrimental to the Kashmir cause. He tendered an apology on Asif’s behalf to the people of Rawalakot. However, the defence minister pointed to his post on X regarding the matter, saying that he had “presented an argument that no one became a Kashmiri on the basis of a birth certificate”, leading PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari to comment on the situation. In his remarks, Bilawal said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif wanted to bring the country out of difficult situations by “positively engaging” with the coalition partners and the opposition, but some “ministers” were creating problems in the process. Bilawal said that Pakistan and the region stood at a moment when things were happening “geopolitically”. “I have voted for the prime minister twice. I