Bilawal calls for end to AJK protests as unrest 'damaging' Pakistan's reputation amid global spotlight

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Sunday appealed to those protesting in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) to end their demonstrations, cautioning that the ongoing unrest was “damaging both the Kashmiri cause and Pakistan’s reputation”. In a statement issued on Sunday, Bilawal — whose PPP is in government in AJK — noted that the imminent signing of the Pakistan-mediated peace pact between the United States and Iran “marks a historic moment”. “At a time when the international spotlight is firmly on Pakistan, the ongoing unrest in Azad Jammu and Kashmir is damaging both the Kashmiri cause and Pakistan’s reputation,” the former foreign minister said. He observed that the unrest was “also creating an unnecessary opportunity for hostile actors and the India-Israel nexus to exploit the situation for their own purposes”. “I therefore appeal to all protestors to bring their demonstrations to a peaceful conclusion. Those individuals who have taken the law into their own hands should surrender themselves to the local authorities and allow due process to take its course,” Bilawal said. The PPP chairman called for all political grievances and disagreements to be resolved through “democratic, constitutional, and peaceful means”. “Parliament and the political process — not the streets — are the appropriate forums for addressing and settling such issues,” he stated. Bilawal recalled that the PPP had already called upon the AJK Election Commission to withdraw its “premature election schedule”, which had set the polls for July 27. “We remain committed to pursuing a political solution and would seek to establish a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to address outstanding grievances, move the process forward, and bring these matters to a just and lasting conclusion,” the PPP chairman said, stressing that the people of Kashmir “should not have to endure repeated cycles of protest, confrontation, and uncertainty”. Apparently referring to the June 5 decision to ban the Joint Awami Actio