'This is Kashmir, not Kashmore'

PML-N president urges PPP chief to shun bitterness

MUZAFFARABAD:

Former prime minister and PML-N President Nawaz Sharif on Friday advised PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari not to take political remarks personally, emphasising healthy political rivalry over bitterness.

Nawaz Sharif, accompanied by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, addressed an election rally in Mirpur, about 258 kilometres from Muzaffarabad. They criticised rival parties for making lofty promises before elections before shifting responsibility for resolving public issues to the federal government.

"This is Kashmir, not Kashmore, and this is Mirpur, not Mirpurkhas," Nawaz said, referring to the two Sindh districts where the PPP has been in power for several years. He pledged to usher AJK into a "new era of development, prosperity and modern infrastructure".

"A PML-N government will modernise AJK by expanding transport, education, healthcare and other public services," Nawaz told the gathering, adding that he would personally oversee the implementation of key development projects across the region.

"The people of Mirpur deserve the same quality of public services available in Punjab," he said, adding that if electric buses can operate in Lahore and Islamabad, there is no reason why the people of AJK should be deprived of them.

Nawaz said the PML-N had consistently delivered development projects in AJK and challenged political opponents to identify any government that had undertaken more significant initiatives in the region. "Wherever you see major development work in AJK, you will find the imprint of the PML-N," he said.

He also announced that every deserving student in AJK would receive a laptop to promote access to modern education and technology.

Addressing the rally, Maryam Nawaz described herself as a "daughter of Kashmir", saying both her paternal and maternal grandparents belonged to the region. "I consider myself Kashmiri by heart and soul," she said, adding that she was proud of her Kashmiri heritage despite criticism from political opponents.

The Punjab chief minister expressed concern over the condition of roads in Mirpur, saying the city deserved better infrastructure in recognition of the sacrifices and contributions made by Kashmiris to Pakistan's development.

She announced that, if elected, a PML-N government in AJK would provide 10 modern electric buses for Mirpur and reiterated Nawaz Sharif's commitment to establish an international-standard airport in the city. "Nawaz Sharif has a history of fulfilling his promises," she said.

Maryam said AJK also needed welfare initiatives similar to those introduced in Punjab, including modern hospitals, free medicines delivered to households, transport projects, ration cards and social protection programmes.

Without naming PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, she criticised political parties that, she said, made lofty promises during election campaigns but shifted responsibility for resolving public issues to the federal government once in office.