PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said on Wednesday that the situation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) since last month was “very concerning”, and the longer it persisted, the more harm would be caused to the Kashmir cause and Pakistan’s reputation.

Bilawal expressed these views while addressing his party’s office bearers and ticket holders in AJK, where he arrived on Tuesday for an unscheduled visit ahead of July 27 elections in the region.

AJK has been seized by protests and deadly clashes between law enforcers and protesters from the recently proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) ahead of the polls.

The matter at the centre of the tensions is JAAC’s demand for the abolition of 12 seats in the region’s Legislative Assembly that are reserved for refugees from Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir who settled in mainland Pakistan after 1947.

Addressing his party’s workers against this backdrop, Bilawal said, “If someone uses inappropriate language against Kashmiris, we will be heartbroken.”

He added, “And if someone speaks up against our army, we can’t tolerate that as well.”

He emphasised that Pakistan’s armed forces, which had defeated India during Marka-i-Haq last year, were their “red line”.

Turning his attention to the present situation in AJK, he said it was surely “very concerning”.

“The longer it persists, the more harm will be caused to the Kashmir cause and Pakistan’s reputation and position,” he added.

At this point, he also highlighted the global situation, saying “big changes are taking place and conspiracies are under way globally”. And in this situation, the role of Pakistan and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir was “significant”, he said.

He continued, “Pakistan’s role, our field marshal’s role is before you in this situation; Pakistan is playing its role as Israel conspires against Iran; Pakistan has responded to India’s attacks; […] Pakistan and its armed forces are responding to terrorists sent by India via Afghanistan to carry out attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan; entire Pakistan is ready to respond to Modi as he weaponises water.”

He recalled that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Israel shortly before the US and Israel launched the ongoing war on Iran. Mentioning this, he stressed the need to realise that some powers were looking for opportunities to work against Pakistan, which was leading the efforts to foil their conspiracy of plunging the world into a war.

“All of us should think; Politicians in Pakistan and Kashmir, political workers, the common man and the people who are protesting should realise that we should choose our words carefully in these circumstances.

“We should do politics, but in a manner so that an adversary of Pakistan does not get to take advantage of our internal situation,” he said.

Then, again mentioning the situation in AJK, he said, “We all want that all issues be resolved politically and peacefully. We are making efforts for this.”

He added that the government’s stance in the matter was justified in a way, as “no one can blackmail the state, and the state is not ready to surrender”. On the other hand, various demands had been put forward, he added without going into further details.

He then shared his and his party’s perspective on the matter.

“The continuing loss of lives in AJK, including the deaths reported yesterday, is a national tragedy,” he said, expressing his “deepest condolences” to every bereaved family.

“Every Kashmiri life is precious; the death of a peaceful citizen cannot be treated as an acceptable consequence of the political disagreement, just as the life of every police and security official must also be protected,” he stated.

He emphasised that people of AJK had an “unquestionable right” to raise their political, economic, and constitutional grievances but “peacefully”.

“Peaceful citizens must not engage in violence or hate speech, and the peaceful citizens must also not be indiscriminately branded as terrorists, anti-Pakistan or agents of any foreign power.”

More to follow