Islamabad, June 7, 2026: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Sunday said he would meet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to discuss the evolving political situation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), expressing confidence that outstanding issues could be resolved through dialogue and parliamentary consultation.
Bilawal made the remarks while chairing a meeting of the PPP’s AJK parliamentary party in Islamabad. The meeting reviewed the political and security situation in the region amid growing tensions surrounding the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) and its planned protest campaign.
According to a statement issued by the PPP, the meeting was attended by the party’s political affairs in-charge, Faryal Talpur, and members of the AJK parliamentary party, who presented recommendations regarding the current situation in the region.
Expressing concern over the unrest, Bilawal reiterated the PPP’s commitment to addressing the concerns of the Kashmiri people and stressed that political disputes should be resolved through negotiations rather than confrontation.
“We have always prioritised the issues of Kashmiris,” Bilawal said. “I will meet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and a solution to the issues will be found through talks and the assembly.”
The meeting came a day after authorities in AJK launched a crackdown against the JAAC, arresting several of its leaders and activists from different areas of the region. Earlier, the AJK government had declared the JAAC a proscribed organisation, alleging that it was involved in activities prejudicial to the peace and security of the state.
The latest controversy centres on the JAAC’s demand for the abolition of 12 seats reserved in the AJK Legislative Assembly for refugees from Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir who settled in Pakistan after 1947. The group argues that these seats have historically been used by mainstream political parties to influence government formation in Muzaffarabad.
However, the AJK Legislative Assembly on Thursday unanimously defended the continuation of the refugee seats and called for the scheduled elections in the region to proceed without delay. The federal government has also deployed additional paramilitary forces to support local law enforcement ahead of the planned June 9 protest.
Meanwhile, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said the government had already fulfilled the overwhelming majority of the JAAC’s demands agreed upon in October last year.
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, Chaudhry said 35 of the 38 demands raised by the committee had been implemented, while the remaining issues either faced legal constraints or required further consultation.
“Negative propaganda is being spread that only three demands have been fulfilled. In reality, 35 out of 38 demands have been implemented,” he said, urging the JAAC to pursue dialogue instead of street agitation. The minister questioned whether the renewed protests were aimed at creating divisions between AJK and Pakistan or undermining the Kashmir cause. He maintained that the government remained open to discussions and had never refused to debate the issue of refugee seats.
Chaudhry noted that a federal delegation had met JAAC representatives in Muzaffarabad on May 30 and proposed that the matter be discussed through political and constitutional forums, including the AJK Legislative Assembly and the judiciary.
He emphasized that while many welfare-related demands had already been addressed, issues involving development projects and legal reforms required time for implementation.
“The solution lies in dialogue, not in violent demonstrations or taking the law into one’s own hands,” he said.
The political standoff comes as AJK prepares for elections scheduled for June 27, with authorities remaining on high alert amid concerns that planned demonstrations could affect law and order in the region.
