ISLAMABAD : Defense Minister Khawaja Asif announced on Tuesday that the state will enforce the law with full force against any “anti-state agenda” in Azad Kashmir, while emphasizing that elections remain the proper avenue for public opinion.
In a statement posted on the social media platform X, Asif described taking controversial issues to the court of public opinion when elections are near as a “truly democratic idea.”
The Defense Minister condemned those who, he claimed, seek to impose their views through violence rather than democratic processes. “Those who want to impose their opinions and thoughts through killings instead of public opinion have other objectives,” Asif stated.
He further alleged that police and security personnel have been martyred and their bodies desecrated, asserting that such actions demonstrate these elements reject the path of public opinion—namely, elections.
“If someone wants to impose an anti-state agenda beyond the law, the state will enforce the law with full force,” Khawaja Asif warned. “The state will give the Kashmiri people the opportunity to freely exercise their opinion.”
His remarks signal a tough stance by Islamabad ahead of upcoming elections in the region.
