Kh Asif defends AJK remarks, reaffirms Pakistan’s unwavering commitment to Kashmir

• Says Kashmir-Pakistan bond rooted in history, sacrifices and decades-long struggle

• Rejects propaganda, warns against ‘external agendas’ targeting Kashmir cause

• Reaffirms Pakistan’s stance on UN-backed plebiscite and self-determination

• Credits PM Shehbaz for promoting dialogue, consensus and democratic norms

 ISLAMABAD: Minister for Defence Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Tuesday said his remarks regarding the situation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) were made with honesty and sincerity, asserting that no propaganda or vested interests could weaken the historic and emotional bond between Pakistan and Kashmir.

“My remarks about the crisis in AJK were frank and honest, Alhamdolillah. Those who have sinister agendas may try to twist them but they cannot take Kashmir out of me or out from Pakistan or take Pakistan out of Kashmir,” he wrote on social media platform X.

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

The sacrifices of Kashmiris who crossed over into Pakistan…

— Khawaja M. Asif (@KhawajaMAsif) June 23, 2026

He said the sacrifices of Kashmiris who crossed over into Pakistan in October 1947 were recorded in history and remain permanently etched in collective memory.

“The struggle of Kashmiris in Indian-occupied Kashmir against Indian occupation is a saga of martyrdom and lives spent in jails over the last 78 years,” he said, adding that Pakistan’s commitment to the Kashmir cause was reflected in the blood of its martyrs in five wars, as well as its principled stance on a UN-mandated plebiscite and right to self-determination.

In this backdrop, he said, “nefarious and externally driven voices” emerging from AJK against Pakistan and the Kashmir cause must be responded to firmly.

He said there were Kashmiris who paid the price of migration, while others continued to endure hardships in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). He noted that the people of AJK, living in peace for decades under the protection of security forces drawn from across Pakistan and local brave hearts, must recognise the sacrifices of Kashmiris in IIOJK and migrants of 1947 and later years.

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

 “In my humble opinion, Kashmiriat is defined by the sacrifices and struggles waged over almost eight decades by Pakistanis including Kashmiris and all others, not by birth certificates,” the minister said.

PM PROMOTING POLITICAL RECONCILIATION, NEW DEMOCRATIC TRADITIONS

Earlier, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was setting new democratic traditions and promoting a culture of political dialogue and reconciliation.

Speaking on the floor of the National Assembly, he urged the opposition to embrace these traditions, noting that the prime minister had introduced a new political environment both inside Parliament and across the country.

قومی اسمبلی کے بجٹ اجلاس 2026 27 کے دوران وفاقی وزیر برائے دفاع خواجہ محمد آصف کا اظہار خیال @KhawajaMAsif#BudgetSession pic.twitter.com/mmmpT6R3nA

— National Assembly 🇵🇰 (@NAofPakistan) June 23, 2026

He said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir had jointly enhanced Pakistan’s prestige and dignity at national and international levels, urging members of the House to acknowledge their contributions without political bias.

The minister called on lawmakers to adopt a balanced approach in political criticism and reflect on mistakes made during their own tenures.

He said the Leader of the House was actively working to build political consensus and strengthen democratic norms, adding that recent calls for dialogue reflected a broader commitment to cooperation among political forces.

On the issue of the power sector, Kh Asif said all governments over the past 25 to 30 years, including the PTI government, shared responsibility for Independent Power Producers (IPPs) contracts and the resulting capacity payment burden.

He said the present government under PM Shehbaz had successfully renegotiated agreements with IPPs, reducing the financial burden of power purchase contracts by approximately Rs3.5 trillion over the remaining life of the agreements.

He said this relief would benefit consumers and the national economy in the years ahead.

The minister added that efforts to renegotiate IPP contracts were also made during the PTI government, but no breakthrough was achieved at that time.

He maintained that if the contracts were considered a policy mistake, then responsibility must be shared by all governments that signed or continued them, rather than attributing blame to a single administration.

He explained that most IPPs were established during the 1990s and early years of General (r) Pervez Musharraf’s government, when Pakistan faced severe electricity shortages.

He said capacity payments were introduced as incentives to attract investment in the power sector by guaranteeing payments even when electricity generation capacity remained unutilised.