Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has strongly rejected recent remarks by India’s defence minister over Jammu and Kashmir, accusing New Delhi of using political rhetoric to distort what Islamabad describes as internationally recognised legal realities.
In his tweet on X, Khawaja Asif said India’s statements could not change the status of Jammu and Kashmir, which Pakistan maintains is an internationally recognised disputed territory.
India’s continued attempts to rewrite internationally recognised legal realities through coercive rhetoric cannot alter the facts. Pakistan categorically rejects the irresponsible remarks made by the Indian Defence Minister. Such statements reflect a continued attempt to distort…
— Khawaja M. Asif (@KhawajaMAsif) July 26, 2026
He said the final status of the region should be determined in accordance with relevant UN Security Council resolutions and what he described as the freely expressed will of the Kashmiri people.
Asif also accused India of attempting to malign Pakistan and alleged that New Delhi had a record of supporting terrorism and instability in South Asia. India has repeatedly rejected such allegations.
The Pakistani defence minister warned that what he called India’s “irresponsible rhetoric” could lower the threshold for conflict between the two countries.
“Pakistan remains committed to peace and dialogue,” Asif said, while adding that the country’s resolve to protect its sovereignty, territorial integrity and national security was “absolute”.
He also accused the Indian government of using rhetoric against Pakistan to divert attention from what he described as growing domestic unrest and discontent with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s governance.
Relations between Pakistan and India have remained tense, particularly over the disputed Kashmir region, which both countries claim in full but administer in part.
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