Pakistan, June 5 -- Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has strongly opposed the demand to abolish refugee seats in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, calling it undemocratic and disruptive to the upcoming electoral process. He said such demands ahead of elections risk undermining political stability and voter confidence. Moreover, he stressed that representation issues should be resolved through democratic voting rather than pressure tactics. His remarks came as political debate intensified ahead of the July 27 elections in the region.

Asif stated that the demand to remove 12 refugee seats elected from Pakistan should not be imposed before elections in a way that distorts the democratic process. Instead, he emphasized that voters should decide the futur...