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.

At least two law enforcers were martyred while seven activists of the proscribed JAAC lost their lives in separate clashes on Tuesday.

Bilawal said while addressing PPP members: “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 emphasised that people of AJK had an “unquestionable right” to raise their political, economic, and constitutional grievances but “peacefully”.

“Peaceful protesters 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 merely for demanding their rights,” he said.

The PPP chairman stressed that any specific allegation of violence, whether against a protester or a member of law enforcement, must be investigated “individually, impartially, and according to the law”.

“The present confrontation cannot be resolved through force or inflammatory accusations, nor can the commitments made in writing be allowed to disappear into competing claims about what has or has not been implemented,” he added.

Without naming anyone, he continued: “Their competing accounts regarding recent events, the conduct of different parties, the implementation of previous agreements, the cases that have been registered, and the notification proscribing the protesting organisation — these matters should not be decided through accusations, collective blame or further confrontation.”

“The PPP, therefore, proposes the establishment of a truth and reconciliation commission, constituted with the agreement of all parties concerned.”

“The commission should be given a sufficiently broad mandate to examine the present situation, establish the relevant facts, consider the grievances and position of all sides, review the outstanding political, legal, and administrative questions, and recommend a just and lasting way forward,” he added.

Bilawal reminded that he had already opposed the “questions or questioning” of the Kashmiri identity of the people of Rawalakot on the floor of the National Assembly.

“Let me reiterate: no one sitting in Islamabad has the right to determine who is or who is not a Kashmiri,” the PPP chairman said.

He stated that the “dignity and identity” of the people belonging to AJK were not “conditional upon their agreement with any government”.

“I appeal to the protesters to ensure that their activity is peaceful and to cooperate in creating a space required for immediate and meaningful political negotiations,” Bilawal said.

He emphasised that this appeal was not “a request for surrender or silence,” but it was an appeal “to save lives while pursuing a just political settlement”.

“Pakistan’s relationship with the people of Kashmir must be founded upon consent, dignity, democratic rights, and mutual respect,” he said.

“At this grave moment, our first responsibility is to prevent further bloodshed and to restore trust through verifiable actions,” the PPP chairman proposed.

“I appeal to the protesters to suspend their activities, sit-ins and long marches once the agreement has been reached on the formation of such a commission,” he added.

Correspondingly, he stated, the authorities and the government should “refrain from further measures pending the outcome of such a truth and reconciliation commission”.

He said if this proposal was acceptable to the government of Pakistan, the government of Azad Kashmir, the protesters, and if all parties were willing to accept such a proposal, the PPP was ready to play its part to help resolve the current crisis in the best interest of the people of AJK.

Bilawal informed that he also had a conversation with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, and the deputy prime minister had assured him that he would talk to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif about this proposal.

Sharing his thoughts on the upcoming elections in AJK, Bilawal admitted that it was “difficult” to contest polls given the present situation; however, he stressed that PPP would never step back from the elections.