Proposes truth commission calls on both sides to halt actions until investigation is complete
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari addresses a public meeting in Dadyal, Mirpur district, on Friday. SCREEN GRAB
Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Friday criticized both the federal government and the protesters over the recent unrest in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, lashing out at the former for punishing AJK for the latter’s actions.
Addressing a PPP rally in Dadyal tehsil of Mirpur district, Bilawal criticized both sides over the deteriorating situation in AJK.
The PPP chairman said that Kashmir had faced a difficult test in the last one month while the whole world was watching, but it was the people of the region who bore the consequences.
“Everyone has a right to protest, but to protest in such a way that food supplies cannot reach Kashmir, fuel cannot reach Kashmir and medicine cannot reach Kashmir does not harm the government. It does not harm the state of Pakistan or the state of Azad Kashmir. The burden, the suffering and the distress is borne only by the people of Kashmir,” Bilawal said.
He added that the protesters made the people of Kashmir pay the price for the government’s mistakes.
The PPP chairman also criticized the government’s response to the protests, saying it was punishing all Kashmiris instead of just those involved in the demonstrations.
“Protesters may be good or bad, they may even be wrong, but the government is not only punishing the protesters. It is punishing all Kashmiris and it has been doing so for the last 30 days,” he said.
Bilawal described the upcoming AJK elections as the most significant in the history of the region considering the prevailing situation and said people had never witnessed such circumstances before.
“This is a test for the state of Azad Kashmir, this is a test for the state of Pakistan, this is a test for all political parties and politicians because it is the responsibility of politicians to represent you, to become your voice and to carry that voice to Muzaffarabad, to Islamabad and to the whole world,” he said.
Bilawal said he had proposed the formation of a truth and reconciliation commission to deal with the ongoing crisis, adding that the mechanism could help resolve the issues if accepted by both the government and the protesters.
“Until this truth and reconciliation commission completes its work – if such a commission is formed – my request to the protesters would be to end their protest until the commission completes its work. My request to the state of Pakistan would be that if the protesters are willing to accept this proposal, then the government should also stop its actions until the commission completes its work. No,” he said.
Bilawal added that neither the government nor the protesters had so far responded to the proposal.
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More to follow.
