PPP president proposes independent commission to investigate unrest and urges dialogue to help resolve current crisis
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto addresses his party office-bearers and ticket holders in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. SCREEN CAPTURE
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Wednesday warned that prolonged unrest in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) would damage both the cause of Kashmir and Pakistan’s international reputation, and urged all stakeholders to seek a political solution to the crisis.
Addressing PPP officials 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 last month has been deeply worrying. All Kashmiris are worried and all Pakistanis are worried,” he said. “The longer this continues, the greater the damage will be to the Kashmir cause and Pakistan’s reputation.”
“I propose the creation of a commission independent of all interested parties,” he said. “The commission should be given a sufficiently broad mandate to examine the current situation, establish the relevant facts, consider the complaints and positions of all parties, review outstanding political, legal and administrative issues and recommend a fair and lasting path forward.”
Bilawal said every death reported during the unrest was “a national tragedy” and expressed his deepest condolences to the families of the deceased.
He stressed that “any allegation must be investigated diligently, impartially and according to due process,” warning that “continued confrontation can only result in more losses and inflammatory accusations.”
Calling for restraint, Bilawal said, “I appeal to the protesters to call off 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 that he would raise it with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Bilawal added that politics must be conducted responsibly so that no enemy of Pakistan can exploit the country’s internal problems.
Also read: PM Dar meets Bilawal and discusses overall situation of country and AJK affairs
He also reiterated his support for dialogue, saying the state had a legitimate position that it could not be blackmailed into surrendering, but that grievances raised by protesters also needed to be addressed. “We still want a middle ground. We want a political and peaceful solution to all outstanding issues,” he said.
Referring to criticism of Pakistan Army, Bilawal said, “If anyone speaks against Pakistan, Pakistan Army or our armed forces, whether from Kashmir or anywhere else in Pakistan, we cannot tolerate it.” “Our armed forces are our red line.”
Turning to broader constitutional issues, Bilawal proposed calling 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 on Kashmir should be taken by Kashmiris, not by Islamabad or any other city.”
Addressing the contentious issue of 12 seats reserved for Kashmiri refugees in the AJK Legislative Assembly, Bilawal said, “No constitutional amendment can be imposed through arms 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 the 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 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’m here and I’m 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 participate in these elections.”
Bilawal also outlined the PPP’s broader vision for AJK, saying the party’s struggle had always centered 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 the reforms introduced by the PPP government in Gilgit-Baltistan, he said the party had transferred ownership of land to local residents and pledged to carry out similar efforts where people had been denied ownership rights.
“If we want the new generation to receive new rights, then we will have to continue that fight together,” he said, adding that the PPP remains committed to expanding the political, economic and administrative rights of the people of AJK.
Comparing the PPP with its political rivals, Bilawal said other parties “take away rights and jobs”, while the PPP is “the only party that gives rights and creates jobs”.
He also reiterated that the future of Kashmir must be determined by its people. “Some people believe that the future of Kashmir lies elsewhere. I believe that the future of Kashmir is only in the hands of Kashmiris,” he said, adding that the current crisis must be resolved “through peaceful and political means.”
Regarding the July 27 elections, Bilawal said the PPP would raise election-related concerns to 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 PML-N leaders 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 after its victory in Gilgit-Baltistan.
“I also assure you that if you win, we will also respect your mandate,” Bilawal said, adding that respecting the public’s verdict should become a democratic norm regardless of which party emerges victorious.
Bilawal met DPM Dar on Tuesday to discuss matters related to AJK, following an earlier meeting between the two last week.
Earlier this month, 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 met and called for dialogue to resolve the current unrest in AJK.
Bilawal also previously announced that the PPP and JUI-F would jointly contest the upcoming AJK elections. He also called on the JAAC to stay within the confines of the law and the Constitution.
Background
Recent riots and deadly clashes broke out in areas including Rawalakot where the JAAC had been staging a sit-in in front of the Rawalakot Combined Military Hospital. AJK Police allege that armed JAAC members opened fire on law enforcement forces deployed in a planned attack, leaving four personnel dead and around 20 injured. JAAC, however, disputes this version, stating that security forces used tear gas and fired projectiles towards the hospital.
According to the AJK police, three people linked to the JAAC and four law enforcement officers died during the protests. However, the JAAC said in a statement that seven people were killed and dozens injured when shots were fired on the street in the dark after the electricity was allegedly cut.
The clash occurred when the AJK government and the JAAC witnessed a clash as the AJK election date was announced as 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 imbalanced arrangement that many consider unfair.
The region witnessed one of its most turbulent periods in October last year, when protests led by the JAAC broke out over demands for constitutional and governance reforms. At least nine people, including three police officers, died during the riots.
The JAAC, which organized the protests and strike, had put forward 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 elimination of the quota system.
Two days after the violence, the government and the JAAC reached an agreement covering 12 basic and 13 additional points. Under the agreement, both sides agreed to constitute a high-level committee to examine the issue of refugee seats in the AJK Legislative Assembly.
