Bilawal trains guns on PML-N in AJK poll push

PPP chief accuses Sharifs' party of pursuing anti-Kashmir agenda

MUZAFFARABAD:

Escalating the political battle ahead of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly elections, PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Wednesday accused the ruling PML-N of pursuing an "anti-Kashmir" agenda.

He alleged that the ruling party wanted to strip the AJK prime minister of key powers and urged voters to give his party a decisive mandate in the first phase of polls on July 27.

Addressing an election rally in Mirpur, around 300 kilometres from the AJK capital, Bilawal said the upcoming election would determine the future of the Kashmiri people and pledged that the PPP would continue to champion their political, constitutional and economic rights at every forum.

"The July 27 election is a decision about the future of the Kashmiri people. Use the power of your vote to protect your rights," he told party workers.

Launching a sharp attack on the PML-N, Bilawal alleged that some federal ministers had offended AJK residents by claiming that the people of Mirpur and Rawalakot were "not Kashmiris."

"Such statements reflect the PML-N's anti-Kashmir mindset. The people will give their answer through the ballot box in the elections," he said.

The PPP chairman said his party believed in democracy, equality and the protection of public rights rather than the "politics of hatred, division and prejudice."

He reiterated that decisions concerning the AJK should be made by its elected leadership and vowed to continue advocating for the Kashmiri people's "right to self-governance, right to employment and right to ownership."

Bilawal also challenged the PML-N's claims of development in Punjab, saying the government's narrative was contradicted by conditions on the ground.

"People witnessed the condition of Punjab's roads while travelling to Dadyal. The PML-N must also explain the deprivation in Rajanpur, Layyah, Kasur, Mianwali and other districts," he said.

He argued that after four terms in the prime minister's office and several tenures as Punjab chief minister, the PML-N could no longer justify asking the public for more time.

"The PML-N considers only Raiwind to be Punjab. Look at the condition of neighbouring Kasur and the reality becomes evident," he remarked.

Bilawal further alleged that the PML-N planned to curtail the constitutional powers of the AJK prime minister through amendments so that key decisions relating to the region would be taken in Islamabad rather than by AJK's elected representatives.

"The PPP rejects this approach and firmly believes that the people of the AJK have the right to decide their own future," he said.

Calling the July 27 vote a defining moment, Bilawal said Mirpur Division would deliver a "historic verdict" and urged voters to reject those who questioned the identity of the people of Mirpur and Rawalakot.

"When the PML-N is out of power, it seeks the people's support; when it is in power, it tightens its grip on the people," he said.

Bilawal appealed to voters to elect PPP candidates—Chaudhry Yasir Sultan, Chaudhry Qasim Majeed, Sohaib Arshad and Afsar Shahid—in all four Mirpur constituencies, naming. He said a convincing victory for Chaudhry Yasir Sultan would affirm the enduring political legacy of Barrister Sultan Mahmood.

Claiming that voters in Gilgit-Baltistan had already rejected the PML-N, Bilawal predicted that the people of AJK would do the same. He said if the PPP secured a two-thirds majority, it would implement its agenda centred on the Kashmiri people's right to self-governance, employment and ownership.