‘Ask your higher-ups, they'll tell you…’: PoK ‘PM’ slams Khawaja Asif over remarks on Kashmiris, says don’t need validation from Islamabad
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "‘Ask your higher-ups, they'll tell you…’: PoK ‘PM’ slams Khawaja Asif over remarks on Kashmiris, says don’t need validation from Islamabad")
Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif attends the Defence Ministers' Meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Member States in Qingdao in eastern China's Shandong province on June 26, 2025. Photograph: (AFP)
Pakistan-occupied Kashmir’s “prime minister” Faisal Mumtaz Rathore slammed Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif for questioning the Kashmiri identity of residents, demanding an apology instead of governance-related deflections.
The "prime minister" of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, Faisal Mumtaz Rathore, has publicly launched a war of words with Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif. Rathore reportedly slammed Asif for his reported remarks questioning the Kashmiri identity of residents of parts of the region. He said that people of Jammu and Kashmir do not need "validation" from Islamabad.
In a post on the social media platform X on Friday (June 26), Rathore accused Asif of creating divisions by allegedly suggesting that residents of Rawalakot and Mirpur in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir were "not proper Kashmiris".
WION could not independently verify the reported remarks attributed to Asif.
Responding to the reported comments, Rathore said, "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."
He went on to criticise the veteran politician, saying, "Boomers such as him and their antics are creating divisions instead of bringing people closer."
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'Asif should apologise'
Rathore also claimed that Asif attempted to walk back his remarks after facing criticism. "After noticing backlash on his faux pas, he's now covering up by finding faults in Azad Jammu and Kashmir's governance," Rathore wrote.
The PoK leader was referring to what was reported as Asif's subsequent clarification, in which the Pakistan defence minister argued that Kashmiri identity was defined by years of struggle and sacrifice rather than birth certificates. Asif also reportedly pointed to alleged governance shortcomings in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir while defending his position.
Rejecting that argument, Rathore urged Asif to acknowledge his original remarks instead of shifting the focus.
"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," Rathore said.
