Control Your Ministers, Bilawal Bhutto Tells Shehbaz Sharif On Khawaja Asif's PoK Remarks

Published 24 June 2026 · politics

Control Your Ministers, Bilawal Bhutto Tells Shehbaz Sharif On Khawaja Asif's PoK Remarks Reported By, Last Updated: June 24, 2026, 15:22 IST Bilawal urged the

Control Your Ministers, Bilawal Bhutto Tells Shehbaz Sharif On Khawaja Asif's PoK Remarks Reported By, Last Updated: June 24, 2026, 15:22 IST Bilawal urged the Pakistan PM to rein in members of his cabinet, declaring that ministers should not be allowed to create confusion on issues as sensitive as Kashmir Rapid Read Bilawal Bhutto said strengthening democratic institutions required strengthening the elected prime minister rather than undermining him. Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has sharpened his criticism of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government, launching a fresh attack on defence minister Khawaja Asif over controversial remarks on Kashmir, while simultaneously questioning the federal government’s handling of local governance and political disputes. Speaking in the Assembly, Bilawal took exception to comments attributed to Khawaja Asif regarding Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), saying senior ministers should exercise greater caution when speaking on sensitive national issues.

His remarks come after Khawaja Asif faced criticism over comments that were interpreted as questioning the Kashmiri identity of residents in PoK. Bilawal urged Sharif to rein in members of his cabinet, declaring that ministers should not be allowed to create confusion on issues as sensitive as Kashmir. “Control your ministers," he said, in one of his sharpest public rebukes of a key Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader. The PPP chief also broadened his criticism beyond Kashmir, attacking what he described as the state’s “hybrid regime" approach towards PoK and arguing that political issues should be resolved through political dialogue rather than administrative measures. In his address, Bilawal insisted that all major national challenges require political solutions and welcomed an offer by Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman to mediate between political stakeholders and help reduce tensions.

The PPP leader also turned his attention to local governance, demanding local body elections across Pakistan and questioning why scrutiny was focused on Sindh while local government polls remained pending in Punjab and Islamabad. Taking aim at coalition partner MQM-P, Bilawal challenged the party to withdraw from the federal cabinet if it was serious about its objections regarding local government issues. At the same time, he sought to portray himself as a defender of the coalition arrangement, warning that certain forces were attempting to weaken Sharif. Bilawal said strengthening democratic institutions required strengthening the elected prime minister rather than undermining him. The remarks underscore growing tensions within Pakistan’s ruling coalition, with Bilawal increasingly willing to publicly challenge senior government figures even while his party remains a key ally of the Sharif administration. The latest controversy over Khawaja Asif’s Kashmir remarks has provided the PPP chief another opportunity to position himself as both a coalition partner and a critic of the government’s handling of politically sensitive issues.