MUZAFFARABAD: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) on Wednesday enter into electoral alliance to contest Azad Jammu and Kashmir elections scheduled for July 21.
The PML-N Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) chief, Farooq Haider, and the JI (AJK) head, Abdur Rasheed Turabi, while addressing a joint press conference at the Central Press Club here, said that in the constituencies of Haider, Shah Ghulam Qadir and Mushtaq Minhas, the JI will not field candidates.
The PML-N will give a special seat to Turabi as he had withdrawn in favour of Minhas.
Both the parties have decided to keep open four seats from Rawalakot, two from Kotli and one form Mirpur, whereas, the PML-N would not field its candidate against the JI’s Noorul Bari in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Valley-VI constituency, where Kashmiri refugees are settled.
The two leaders said that the electoral alliance was the need of the hour to open doors of the region’s legislative assembly to reputed and educated people.
The situation about Dhirkot constituency where former AJK prime minister Attique Ahmad Khan had faced tough time in 2011 elections from his opponent JI’s Major (retd) Latif Khaliq had not been finalised.
“We are working to decide about the Dhirkot constituency. To decide whether to support the JI candidate or keep it open for both the parties, will take one to two weeks time,” Haider added.
The JI chief said that they formed the alliance to ensure merit, introduce good governance and work for the Kashmir cause in the region.
“The PML-N will find us two steps ahead when it comes to the supremacy of merit in the AJK,” Turabi said.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 17th, 2016.
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