Abdullah Ocalan, the imprisoned Kurdish leader, called on his militant group on Thursday to lay down its arms and dissolve as part of a new bid to end a four-decade long conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives.

The founder of the P.K.K., a guerrilla organization that has been fighting an insurgency against Turkey for decades, has called for his group to disarm and disband.

Kurdistan Workers’ Party leader Abdullah Ocalan’s latest message has divided public opinion, with some viewing it as a necessary step toward peace while others expressing skepticism about its implications.