Pakistan, May 24 -- Let us stop pretending that Azad Kashmir is an ordinary political playground. It is not. This is a territory of barely 13,297 square kilometres, divided into three divisions and 10 districts and a Line of Control stretching approximately 528 kilometres. In such a place, one burning road is never just one burning road. One day of disorder travels across borders before sunset.

The people of Azad Kashmir have problems. Nobody should deny that. More than 82 per cent of the population is rural. Unemployment is officially put at 9.6 per cent. These figures explain why flour, electricity, jobs and local services become emotional questions. But pain is one thing; the business of pain is another.

A real public movement asks f...