Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Friday urged the federal government to reopen Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), calling for relief for residents affected by ongoing disruptions.
“If the state of Pakistan can help bring peace between the United States and Iran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, then it should also reopen Kashmir,” Bilawal said while addressing an election rally in AJK’s Dadyal.
The US and Iran signed the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on June 17, largely mediated by Pakistan.
The 14-point Islamabad MoU declared an end to the war and the Strait of Hormuz open for commercial vessels.
Bilawal’s remarks came amid a surge in violence linked to ongoing sit-ins and protests in parts of AJK ahead of the July 27 elections.
The AJK government on June 5 declared the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) a proscribed organisation under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), saying the group was engaged in terrorism.
The ban was imposed days ahead of the banned outfit’s planned June 9 protest seeking the abolition of 12 seats in the AJK reserved for refugees from Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) who migrated to Pakistan after 1947.
Calling the upcoming elections the most important in the region’s history, Bilawal said they would be a test for Pakistan and an opportunity for the people to make their voices heard.
He said politicians had failed to adequately convey Kashmiris’ concerns to Islamabad, adding that if voters entrusted the PPP with the responsibility, he would become their voice.
Referring to the ongoing unrest in the region, the PPP chief said that there was no issue that could not be resolved through political and peaceful means.
According to Bilawal, demonstrators had written to him, after which he proposed the formation of a truth and reconciliation commission to address the dispute.
“I have suggested establishing a truth and reconciliation commission. If it is formed, I will ask the protesters to suspend their protest,” he said, adding that he had yet to receive a response to the proposal.
The PPP chairman urged both the protesters and the authorities to avoid causing hardship to ordinary citizens, saying disruptions preventing the supply of food and essential goods ultimately harmed the public.
“The government has a responsibility to maintain its writ, but it cannot punish all Kashmiris for the actions of a few individuals,” he said.
Bilawal resolved to convene a constitutional convention after the elections, saying proposals would come from the people, while decisions on refugee seats and voting would be made by constitutional institutions.
He also called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to clarify the federal government’s policy following remarks made by federal cabinet members, including Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, regarding Kashmir and refugee seats.
“If the defence minister’s remarks did not reflect the government’s policy, then remove him from office,” he said.
Bilawal also criticised another federal minister’s reported claim that “12 Kashmir seats are in our pocket”, saying such a mindset showed a lack of concern for the electoral process in the region.
“The decision on Kashmir is not in anyone’s pocket. It lies only in the hands of Kashmir’s youth,” he said, urging voters to support the PPP in what he described as the last election for refugee seats in both AJK and Pakistan.
