ISLAMABAD (Kashmir English): Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Thursday said that the matter of refugee seats could not be resolved through threats or pressure tactics, reaffirming his party’s position that Kashmir’s future should be decided by Kashmiris.
Addressing the National Assembly, Bilawal maintained that the issue should be settled through legislation, consultation, and consensus among all stakeholders.
“Refugees should also be given the right to vote and representation through an agreed constitutional framework,” he stated.
Moreover, Bhutto alleged that the notification declaring the Joint Public Action Committee (JAAC) a banned organization could be reconsidered if its members unconditionally surrender, end their protest movement, and abide by the law.
Former Foreign Minister expressed concern over the prevailing situation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), stating that continued unrest was creating shortages of essential commodities and negatively affecting both Pakistan’s image and the Kashmir cause.
Bilawal Bhutto demanded that those who take the law into their own hands be handed over to the police, that the police take action, and at the same time gave a message that before we have to force them, the protesters should separate themselves from those who break the law, and the protesters should separate the extremists from their ranks.
He noted that previous negotiations with the Awami Action Committee were “80 percent complete” and emphasized that PPP remains committed to peaceful political solutions.
The PPP chairman further warned that anyone targeting state institutions or creating instability would face legal consequences, while reiterating his support for resolving disputes within the constitutional framework of Pakistan.
‘Israel and India were celebrating the attacks on Iran’
Bilawal Bhutto further said that India and Israel were celebrating the attacks on Iran and warned that the growing ties between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Israeli leadership pose a challenge to Pakistan’s interests.
Prime Minister Modi had been a guest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before the Iran-Israel conflict and said the “Modi-Netanyahu nexus” was detrimental to Pakistan.
“Israel and India were celebrating the attacks on Iran,” Bilawal said, adding that the strategic alignment between the two countries would continue to have implications for the region even after the recent US-Iran understanding.
The PPP chairman claimed that Pakistan remains a target of hostile designs and stressed the need to address internal vulnerabilities. “Pakistan is currently in the eyes of the world, and India and Israel now want to harm us more,” he said.
