MUZAFFARABAD — Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Tuesday demanded the urgent formation of an independent truth and reconciliation commission to resolve the deep-rooted political gridlock and civil unrest currently gripping Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). For the past month, the regional administration has been heavily at odds with the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) over structural governance grievances, primarily centered around the committee’s strict demand to abolish the 12 legislative assembly seats traditionally reserved for Kashmiri refugees. Addressing a crowded gathering of party workers in Muzaffarabad amidst the ongoing phased elections, Bilawal asserted that neither the state nor the protesters had been willing to yield. He maintained that establishing a commission to systematically evaluate structural grievances would provide a peaceful, structured exit from the crisis, saving ordinary citizens from being unfairly penalized on the streets.
Turning his focus directly to the ongoing election disputes, the PPP chairman vehemently rejected the preliminary electoral outcomes in regions like Mirpur and Kotli, leveling sweeping rigging allegations against the rival Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). Despite initial institutional counts indicating a significant PML-N victory with nine seats compared to the PPP’s four, Bilawal claimed absolute public support and vowed that his party would aggressively reclaim every single stolen vote. He explicitly accused PML-N workers of violently capturing up to 30 polling stations in key constituencies, chasing out authorized polling agents, and causing the martyrdom of a party worker while authorities stood by passively. Issuing a stern warning to the state, Bilawal questioned whether national interest or narrow partisan gains were driving the continuous communication blackouts and administrative decisions, asserting that the PPP would never allow the democratic sanctity of the region to be subverted
