Bilawal slams govt for punishing whole of AJK for actions of protesters

Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Friday criticised both the federal government and the protesters over the recent unrest in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), lashing out at the former for punishing AJK for the actions of the latter.

Bilawal formally launched his party’s election campaign for the AJK elections from Dadyal, some 200 Kilometres away from the capital city of AJK, describing the upcoming polls as “the most significant in AJK’s history”

Addressing a PPP rally, Bilawal criticised both sides over the worsening situation in AJK.

The PPP chairman said Kashmir had been facing a difficult test for the past month while the entire world watched, but it was the people of the region who were bearing the consequences.

“Everyone has the right to protest, but protesting in such a way that food supplies cannot reach Kashmir, fuel cannot reach Kashmir and medicines cannot reach Kashmir does not harm the government. It does not harm the state of Pakistan or the state of Azad Kashmir. The burden, the suffering and the hardship are being borne only by the people of Kashmir,” Bilawal said.

He added that the protesters were making the people of Kashmir pay the price for the government’s mistakes.

The PPP chairman also criticised the government’s response to the protests, saying it was punishing all Kashmiris instead of only those involved in the demonstrations.

“The protesters may be good or bad, they may even be wrong, but the government is not punishing only the protesters. It is punishing all Kashmiris, and it has been doing so for the past 30 days,” he said.

Bilawal described the upcoming AJK elections as the most significant in the region’s history given the prevailing situation, saying the people had never witnessed such circumstances before.

“This is a test for the state of Azad Kashmir, this is a test for the state of Pakistan, this is a test for all political parties and politicians because it is the responsibility of politicians to represent you, to become your voice and to carry that voice to Muzaffarabad, to Islamabad and to the entire world,” he said.

Bilawal said politicians, whether from Islamabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir or elsewhere in the country, had failed to perform their responsibilities effectively by acting as a bridge between the people of Kashmir and the federal government.

He said political leaders had not been able to convey the concerns and aspirations of the people of Kashmir to Islamabad in the manner they should have.

“This is not just Kashmir’s issue. I have just returned from the mountains of Gilgit-Baltistan, where the situation is the same. Whether it is Sindh, Punjab, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa or Balochistan, whenever a crisis emerges, anti-democratic forces, non-political elements and those pursuing extremist politics exploit that crisis,” he said.

Urging voters to support the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in the upcoming AJK elections, Bilawal promised to become the region’s voice at the federal level and on the international stage.

He said the elections presented an opportunity for the people of AJK to entrust the PPP with that responsibility, pledging to raise their issues from Islamabad to the rest of the world.

Expressing concern over the prevailing situation in AJK, Bilawal said every Pakistani and every Kashmiri around the world was worried by the recent developments, but maintained that all of the region’s problems could be resolved.

“Whether it is Dadyal’s issues, Kashmir’s issues or Pakistan’s issues, there is no problem that cannot be resolved through politics and in a peaceful manner, and God willing, we will prove it,” he added.

Bilawal said he had proposed the formation of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to address the ongoing crisis, adding that the mechanism could help resolve the issues if accepted by both the government and the protesters.

“Until this Truth and Reconciliation Commission completes its work — if such a commission is formed — my request to the protesters would be to end their protest until the commission completes its work. My request to the state of Pakistan would be that if the protesters are willing to accept this proposal, then the government should also halt its actions until the commission completes its work. The commission should determine who was wrong, who was right, who committed crimes, and who did not,” he said.

The PPP chairman added that neither the government nor the protesters had so far responded to the proposal.

Bilawal questioned what he described as the collective punishment of the people of AJK, urging both the government and protesters to ensure that ordinary citizens were not made to suffer because of the ongoing unrest.

“Why are you giving collective punishment to the whole of Kashmir? The protestors should provide some space for ordinary Kashmiris so that their daily lives are not disturbed,” the PPP chairman said, urging both the parties to give space to ordinary people.

“If the state of Pakistan can mediate to open the Strait of Hormuz, it can also settle this dispute to keep Kashmir open and reduce the suffering of the Kashmiri people,” he said.

Bilawal said the PPP had consistently advocated the rights of Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), arguing that successive governments in Islamabad had sought to control both regions.

“Half of Kashmir and G-B’s problems stem from the fact that whoever is in power in Islamabad tries to take control of these two areas. However, we have broken this myth with our recent victory in G-B, and God willing, on 27th July, we will also break this myth in Kashmir.”

Recalling his tenure as Pakistan’s foreign minister, Bilawal said the PPP had remained committed to the right of self-determination for the people of Kashmir.

“As far as the rights of Kashmir are concerned, PPP and its workers will continue their efforts towards that goal. The PPP has been fighting for the right of self-determination of the Kashmiri people for three generations, and we will fight for a thousand years and not compromise on this.”

He said the people of Gilgit-Baltistan and AJK had waited generations to receive greater rights and representation, adding that the younger generation sought empowerment and meaningful change.

“After the elections, we will establish constitutional conventions, and we will give an opportunity to everyone to give their feedback on their rights through mutual consultation.”

Bilawal maintained that only the people of Kashmir had the right to decide their future and reiterated his proposal to grant AJK observer status in Parliament, adding that the PPP differed from other political parties on the Kashmir issue, asserting that the region belonged to its people.

“The PPP stands for the right to property of the Kashmir people because this land, these rivers, and these mountains only belong to you. We need to create an environment where everyone in Kashmir can benefit, not only the elite but also the common man.”

The PPP chairman also criticised unnamed political opponents over what he described as attempts to marginalise Mirpur, Kotli and Rawalakot from the political identity of Kashmir, and urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to clarify whether recent remarks made by members of the federal cabinet reflected the government’s official position.

Concluding his address, Bilawal called on voters to participate actively in the election despite the prevailing situation and urged them to support PPP candidate Afsar Shahid, saying only the PPP could take “historic decisions” in the interest of Kashmir.