Bilawal warns prolonged AJK unrest will harm Kashmir cause, Pakistan's reputation

PPP chairman proposes independent commission to probe unrest, urges dialogue to help resolve ongoing crisis

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Wednesday warned that prolonged unrest in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) would damage both the Kashmir cause and Pakistan's international reputation, urging all stakeholders to pursue a political solution to the crisis.

Addressing PPP office-bearers and election candidates in Muzaffarabad, Bilawal described the violence in AJK as "a national tragedy" and proposed the formation of an independent commission, agreed upon by all stakeholders, to investigate the unrest and recommend a way forward.

"The situation in Azad Kashmir over the past month has been deeply worrying. Every Kashmiri is worried, and every Pakistani is worried," he said. "The longer this continues, the greater the damage to the Kashmir cause and to Pakistan's reputation."

"I propose the establishment of an independent commission of all concerned parties," he said. "The commission should be given a sufficiently broad mandate to examine the present situation, establish the relevant facts, consider the grievances and positions of all sides, review the outstanding political, legal, and administrative issues, and recommend a fair and durable way forward."

Bilawal said every death reported during the unrest was "a national tragedy" and extended his condolences to the families of those killed.

He stressed that "every allegation should be investigated diligently, impartially and according to due process", warning that "continued confrontation can only result in further loss and inflammatory accusations."

Calling for restraint, Bilawal said: "I appeal to the protesters to pause further protests, sit-ins, and long marches if this proposal is acceptable to the Government of Pakistan, the AJK government, and the protesters."

He said he had discussed the proposal with Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, who had assured him he would raise it with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Bilawal added that politics should be conducted responsibly so that no enemy of Pakistan could exploit the country's internal issues.

Also Read: DPM Dar meets Bilawal, discusses country's overall situation, AJK matters

He also reiterated his support for dialogue, saying the state had a legitimate position that it could not be blackmailed into surrendering, but the grievances raised by protesters also needed to be addressed. "We still want a middle ground. We want a peaceful, political solution to all outstanding issues," he said.

Referring to criticism of Pakistan's military, Bilawal said: "If anyone speaks against Pakistan, the Pakistan Army or our armed forces, whether from Kashmir or elsewhere in Pakistan, we cannot tolerate it." "Our armed forces are our red line."

Turning to broader constitutional questions, Bilawal proposed convening an AJK constitutional convention after the elections to consider governance reforms.

"The people of Kashmir should decide whether further constitutional, political, administrative, and economic reforms are needed," he said. "The decision about Kashmir must be made by Kashmiris, not by Islamabad or any other city."

Addressing the contentious issue of the 12 reserved seats for Kashmiri refugees in the AJK Legislative Assembly, Bilawal said: "No constitutional amendment can be imposed through guns or sit-ins."

"If the issue is the 12 reserved seats, then let the people decide. If they want to keep them, keep them; if they want reforms, discuss reforms. But the representation of refugees must be protected," he added.

He also proposed granting AJK greater representation in Pakistan's national institutions through observer status in bodies such as the National Finance Commission, the Council of Common Interests, Parliament and the Senate, saying it would allow Kashmir's concerns to be raised before disputes escalated.

Despite the unrest ahead of the July 27 AJK elections, Bilawal said the PPP would continue its campaign. "I am here, and I am not going anywhere," he said. "Whether this issue is resolved or not, I will stand with the people of Kashmir, with our party workers, and we will contest this election."

Bilawal also outlined the PPP's broader vision for AJK, saying the party's struggle had always centred on securing "property rights", "the right to employment" and greater rights for the people of Kashmir.

Read More: AJK suspends 20 education employees over JAAC protest

Referring to reforms introduced by the PPP government in Gilgit-Baltistan, he said the party had transferred land ownership to local residents and pledged to pursue similar efforts wherever people had been denied ownership rights.

"If the new generation is to receive new rights, then we will have to continue that struggle together," he said, adding that the PPP remained committed to expanding the political, economic and administrative rights of the people of AJK.

Contrasting the PPP with its political rivals, Bilawal said other parties "take away rights and jobs", while the PPP was "the only party that gives rights and creates employment".

He also reiterated that the future of Kashmir must be determined by its people. "Some people believe Kashmir's future lies elsewhere. I believe Kashmir's future lies only in the hands of Kashmiris," he said, adding that the current crisis should be resolved "through peaceful and political means".

Turning to the July 27 elections, Bilawal said the PPP would raise election-related concerns with the federal government and welcomed assurances from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) that the electoral mandate in AJK would be respected.

He said Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and the PML-N leadership had assured him that if the PPP won the elections, "The mandate of the people would be respected", just as the PPP believed its mandate had been respected following its victory in Gilgit-Baltistan.

"I also assure them that if they win, we will respect their mandate as well," Bilawal said, adding that respecting the public's verdict should become a democratic norm regardless of which party emerged victorious.

Bilawal met DPM Dar on Tuesday to discuss matters relating to AJK, following an earlier meeting between the two last week.

Earlier this month, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and the PPP announced an electoral alliance for the upcoming elections in AJK. JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Bilawal also held a meeting and called for dialogue to resolve the ongoing unrest in AJK.

Bilawal also previously announced that the PPP and JUI-F would jointly contest the upcoming AJK elections. He also appealed to JAAC to remain within the bounds of the law and the Constitution.

Background

The recent unrest and deadly clashes broke out in areas, including Rawalakot, where the JAAC had been holding a sit-in outside the Combined Military Hospital Rawalakot. AJK police allege that armed JAAC members opened fire on deployed law enforcement in a planned attack, leaving four personnel dead and around 20 injured. JAAC, however, disputes this account, claiming security forces used tear gas and fired shells toward the hospital.

According to the AJK police, three individuals linked to the JAAC and four law enforcement personnel were killed during the protests. JAAC, however, said in a statement that seven individuals were killed and dozens were injured when street firing was carried out in the dark after electricity was allegedly cut off.

The clash came as the AJK government and the JAAC witnessed a face-off, as the election date for AJK was announced for July 27.

AJK's 53-member legislative assembly includes 12 seats reserved for Kashmiri refugees — people who fled Indian-controlled Kashmir in 1947 and 1965 and are now scattered across Pakistan. Six seats represent refugees from the Jammu division (~434,000 people) and six from the Kashmir Valley (~30,000 people) — an already lopsided arrangement that many see as unfair.

The region witnessed one of its most turbulent periods in October last year when protests led by the JAAC erupted over demands for constitutional and governance reforms. At least nine people, including three policemen, were killed during the unrest.

The JAAC, which organised the protests and strike, had presented a wide-ranging charter of demands, including an end to the privileges enjoyed by the ruling elite, the abolition of 12 assembly seats reserved for refugees, and the scrapping of the quota system.

Two days after the violence, the government and the JAAC reached an agreement covering 12 core and 13 additional points. Under the accord, both sides agreed to constitute a high-level committee to examine the issue of refugee seats in the AJK Legislative Assembly.