‘Do not need validation’: PoK ‘PM’ mocks Pak defence minister over ‘not proper Kashmiris’ remark
“Prime Minister” of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir Faizal Mumtaz Rathore on Saturday slammed Pakistan’s defence minister, Khawaja Asif, for claiming that residents of Rawalkot and Mirpur in PoK are “not proper Kashmiris.“In a social media post on X, Rathore termed Asif a “boomer” and said that his antics are creating divisions instead of bringing people closer.“People of Jammu and Kashmir do not need validation of their identity from defence minister of Pakistan Khawaja Asif or anybody else for that matter. Boomers such as him and their antics are creating divisions instead of bringing people closer,” Rathore said.“After noticing backlash over his faux pas, he’s now covering up by finding faults in Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s governance. Sir, ask your higher-ups and they’ll tell you how well we’ve governed. A more dignified act would be to address the elephant in the room and apologize for your original remarks instead of scapegoating our governance,” he added.Earlier, Pakistan’s defence minister, in a television interview, said that residents of Rawalkot and Mirpur in PoK are “not proper Kashmiris.”This comes as PoK is reeling under intense protests over inflation and upcoming elections scheduled for July.Traders, lawyers, students and civil society formed the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) and issued a 38-point charter demanding subsidised flour, fair power tariffs, rollback of new taxes, curbs on official perks, and reforms in governance.The group is demanding the abolition of the reserved seats in PoK’s legislative assembly. The elections will be contested by candidates who do not live in the region, but elsewhere in Pakistan.According to officials, at least 11 people were killed and more than 70 injured in clashes between police and members of a banned protest group in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).The protest was called by the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) against the reservation of 12 seats for refugees in the July 27 elections to the region’s legislative body, out of 45 seats up for grabs.On June 5, authorities designated the JAAC a proscribed group under an anti-terror law and advised domestic and foreign tourists to leave the region before June 9. Mass demonstrations in the last two years led by the JAAC to protest the rising costs of flour and electricity turned deadly after clashes between its supporters and the security forces.
