Jammu Kashmir Peoples Party leader Sardar Asad Ibrahim Khan has called for an immediate and peaceful resolution to the Kashmir crisis, saying that the protection of human lives must remain the top priority. Speaking in Islamabad, he warned that allowing the growing political and public unrest in Azad Kashmir to drift toward confrontation would serve no one’s interest.
Addressing a press talk at the National Press Club alongside party president Syed Fazal Karim Advocate and central information secretary Sardar Naveed Hayat Khan, Asad Ibrahim said the situation in Azad Kashmir was deeply worrying and could have wider implications for the region as well as the Kashmir issue itself. He stressed that the present tensions should be handled with seriousness, restraint and dialogue.
He said the politics of Jammu Kashmir Peoples Party is linked to the struggle and vision of its founding leaders, Ghazi-e-Millat Sardar Muhammad Ibrahim Khan and Sardar Khalid Ibrahim Khan. Recalling the political history of the movement, he noted that the resolution of accession to Pakistan was adopted at Sardar Muhammad Ibrahim Khan’s residence in Srinagar on 19 July 1947, a moment that helped shape the political direction of the Kashmiri people.
According to him, the public movement in Azad Kashmir began with demands for flour, electricity and other basic rights, but the failure of the authorities to address those concerns in time allowed the matter to become more complicated. He said agreements had previously been reached with the action committee, yet later the same groups were described as banned or even branded as terrorists, which he called an unfortunate approach.
Asad Ibrahim said that if any individual has violated the law, action should be taken under the legal process, but it is unfair to label every person raising public rights as a terrorist. He cautioned that such language and decisions can create misunderstandings between the people of Pakistan and Azad Kashmir, which could ultimately benefit hostile forces.
He added that the Azad Kashmir government carries the primary responsibility for resolving the ongoing Kashmir crisis. Referring to the past few years, he said repeated changes in government, political instability and unserious conduct have weakened public trust and deepened frustration among ordinary people.
He also said Pakistan and Kashmir are connected through history, ideology and emotion, and that this bond must not be damaged under any circumstances. Expressing concern over some recent remarks from certain circles, he said statements that raise questions about the constitutional identity of Azad Kashmir and the international position on the Kashmir dispute are deeply troubling.
Speaking on the occasion, Syed Fazal Karim Advocate said reports of food shortages and disruptions in the supply of essential items in Poonch district and other areas were alarming. He urged the government to take immediate steps to ease the difficulties faced by the public.
He said that adopting an anti-Pakistan narrative in the name of a rights movement is condemnable, while at the same time, the use of force and confrontational politics can also not solve the problem. All sides, he added, should show patience, tolerance and seriousness, and work toward a settlement through negotiations.
Leaders of the Jammu Kashmir Peoples Party expressed hope that a peaceful solution to the Kashmir crisis would be found in the coming days through talks between the government and the relevant stakeholders, allowing normal life to return in Azad Kashmir and sparing people further hardship.
