Bilawal says PPP is in a strong position to form government in AJK
Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari addresses a press conference after a meeting of the PPP Azad Jammu and Kashmir Parliamentary Party on Friday. Photo: NNI
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has claimed that the party is in a strong position to form the government in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, as the sitting prime minister faces a no-confidence motion.
Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad on Friday, Bilawal said, the PPP would serve the people of AJK during the remaining tenure of the legislative assembly. “I promise the people of Kashmir that I will not disappoint you. A political solution exists for all problems of Kashmir, and finding solutions has always been the identity of the PPP,” he said.
Bilawal said, the PPP’s foundation was laid on the Kashmir cause and the party represented the people of Kashmir 'for three generations' at every forum. “The prime minister and our members of the legislative assembly will remain accessible to the people. If the people are not served, the responsibility will rest with Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari,” he added.
Read More: PPP secures simple majority to form govt in AJK
He also rebuffed the suggestion that decisions regarding AJK leadership would be made from the capital. “The name of the prime minister of Azad Kashmir will be announced from Kashmir, not from Islamabad,” he said.
The PPP chairman recalled that the party had fully contested the previous AJK elections. “At that time, Imran Khan’s government was in power, and the role of the establishment was before everyone. Despite those circumstances, we won the elections. However, our victory was turned into defeat overnight,” Bilawal mentioned. He said, non-political decision-making created a political vacuum in Kashmir, causing harm to the region.
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Bilawal reiterated that the PPP continued to represent the people in the assembly and has now secured the numbers to form government. “We will try our best to meet the aspirations of the people of Kashmir. The remaining period of this assembly will be a test for us,” he said.
The PPP earlier announced its intention to form the government in AJK during a meeting chaired by President Asif Ali Zardari. The party’s Azad Kashmir Parliamentary Group also met in Islamabad to discuss the political landscape.
On October 26, ten members of the PTI's forward bloc in AJK announced their decision to join PPP, enabling the party to gain the required majority. The following day, the PPP and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) agreed to move a no-confidence motion against the AJK government. PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal said, his party would support the motion from the opposition benches.
However, a day later, in a surprise move, the PTI announced that it would disassociate itself from the opposition alliance’s no-confidence motion against the AJK PM and the subsequent process to elect a new premier, terming the move a “political game” aimed at undermining public representation.