DADYAL, (AJK): Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, while addressing an election rally here, said that these polls are the most significant elections in the history of AJK.
He said that the current situation is a test for the state of Kashmir and Pakistan, along with all political parties and politicians. Quaid-e-Awam Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto have taught us to represent the downtrodden masses, he said.
The duty of the politicians is to reduce the distance between the people of Kashmir and the capital, as well as the international stage. The politicians of Kashmir have to act as a bridge so that the voice of the people can reach Islamabad, he said.
Bilawal said when a political crisis takes place, apolitical and extremist elements take advantage of it. This election is an opportunity for the people of Dadyal and Azad Kashmir to give PPP the responsibility to be their voice, as it is our pledge to represent them, be it in Muzaffarabad, Islamabad or the international community.
Bilawal said that when the protestors wrote him a letter, he responded by suggesting the formation of a ‘Truth and Reconciliation Commission’ to address the issues of Kashmir. If this proposal is appropriate in the eyes of the state of Pakistan and the protestors, we can pave the path forward. He said that his request to the protesters would be to end their protest once such a Commission is formed.
He added that if the protesters are willing to comply, he would request the State of Pakistan to put its action on hold until the Commission reaches a conclusion. He; however, said that no response has yet been received from either party.
PPP Chairman said that while protesting is a fundamental right, conducting protests in a manner that results in shortages of food, fuel and medicines only harms the people of Kashmir. He said that the protesters are taking their revenge for the shortcomings of the government out on the people of Kashmir. However, he added that the government, too, is punishing the people of Kashmir instead of the protesters, as internet services remain suspended.
He demanded that both the protesters and those running the state leave enough space for ordinary Kashmiris so that they do not face unnecessary hardships. He urged both sides to provide relief to the people of Kashmir until the Commission is formed and reaches a solution.
Bilawal said that if the State of Pakistan can mediate between the United States and Iran and help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, then it should also help reopen Kashmir. He said that the relationship between the Pakistan Peoples Party and Kashmir spans three generations.
He added that Quaid-e-Awam Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, together with the people, gave the country its first unanimous Constitution, as well as, nuclear capability. He further said that Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto gave Pakistan missile technology, while President Asif Ali Zardari restored the 1973 Constitution and gave Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa their constitutional identity.
He said that the “right to rule, right to ownership and right to employment” is the slogan of every Kashmiri and Pakistani. These three basic principles have been a part of the PPP’s manifesto since the past two elections.
The people of GB broke the myth that those in power in Islamabad form the government in GB as well, and the PPP witnessed a historic triumph. He said that the people of Azad Kashmir will break this myth too.
He said that as the youngest foreign minister of Pakistan, he fought the battle for the right to ownership on an international level, and he raised the slogan of “Plebiscite”, on the international level, in the United Nations and OIC.
He was the first Pakistani Foreign Minister in a decade to set foot on Indian soil, and after calling Modi the “Butcher of Gujarat”, a price had been placed on his head. However, despite these risks, he had maintained that the people of Kashmir must be granted their rights.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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