Former Pakistan-administered Kashmir prime minister says he will take his opposition to any division of Jammu and Kashmir to every street, village and community.
NEELA BUTT, Pakistan-administered Kashmir — All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference president and former prime minister Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan has publicly challenged authorities to arrest him if they oppose his position against the division of Jammu and Kashmir.
Speaking at a gathering marking Neela Butt Day on August 23, Khan adopted a markedly forceful tone, declaring that he would take his message against dividing the region to communities across Kashmir.
“The division of Jammu and Kashmir is not acceptable to me under any circumstances,” Khan said, according to Sada-e-Haq Kashmir News.
He said he would take the message to “every street, village, shrine and mosque” and challenged anyone who disagreed with his position to arrest him.
Calls against proposed provincial status
The gathering also featured slogans opposing the proposed provincial status of Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, as well as any division of Jammu and Kashmir.
Khan said he would not allow what he described as a plan to divide the region to succeed.
His remarks represent a strong political emphasis on the question of territorial unity at a time when political debate in Pakistan-administered Kashmir remains deeply contested.
Shift in position toward Action Committee
Khan also signalled a more conciliatory approach toward the Joint Public Action Committee, whose position he has previously criticised.
“Action Committee members are our brothers,” he said, according to the report, adding that he would personally approach them and ask them not to become part of any plan involving the division of Kashmir.
The statement marks a notable change in tone and opens the possibility of greater political engagement between Khan and activists associated with the Action Committee.
Political survival and changing alliances
Sada-e-Haq Kashmir News chief executive and journalist Imran Abbasi interpreted Khan’s latest position as consistent with a political shift he had predicted following the Muslim Conference’s electoral setback.
According to the publication, Abbasi had argued that Khan would need to reconsider his position on the Action Committee and align himself more closely with public sentiment to remain politically relevant.
Khan’s latest comments have been presented by the publication as confirmation of that assessment.
Claims about post-election political manoeuvring
Khan also spoke about political developments following the elections, alleging that Sajid Abbasi had been invited to join the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz after the polls.
According to Khan’s account, Abbasi initially resisted the invitation, arguing that he had won the election against PML-N. Khan said subsequent political discussions, including the issue of contacts with the Action Committee, eventually resulted in Abbasi becoming an ally of the party.
The claims could not be independently verified from the material available for this report.
A changing political landscape
Khan’s Neela Butt speech comes amid wider political debate over the future political and constitutional status of Kashmir and growing public scrutiny of political alliances in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
His call for engagement with the Action Committee, combined with his explicit opposition to any division of Jammu and Kashmir, could signal an attempt to reposition the Muslim Conference around an issue that continues to carry significant emotional and political weight among Kashmiris.