Bilawal urges free, fair AJK elections to ensure credible government

Voices confidence in PPP candidates, saying the party offers distinct vision in AJK election campaign

MUZAFFARABAD:

Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Monday said that the ongoing Azad Jammu and Kashmir AJK Legislative Assembly elections were among the most significant in the region's political history, stressing that only a free, fair and transparent electoral process could produce a credible government capable of addressing the challenges faced by the people.

Addressing a party gathering here on the day polling was held in the first phase of the AJK general elections in Mirpur Division, Bilawal expressed confidence in his party's candidates and campaign, claiming that the PPP had presented a distinct political vision compared to its rivals.

"I am proud of my candidates and our entire team. There is a clear difference between the PPP’s election campaign and those of the other political parties," he told party workers and supporters.

Bilawal described the AJK elections as a defining democratic exercise and said that an election of such importance should be conducted in a manner that leaves no room for controversy.

"When elections are transparent, impartial and credible, they strengthen not only the democratic process but also the legitimacy of the Assembly that emerges from it. A representative government with a genuine public mandate is better positioned to resolve the problems confronting the people of Azad Kashmir," he said. He maintained that restoring political normalcy in AJK was essential for improving the daily lives of ordinary citizens and ensuring effective governance.

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However, the PPP chairman argued that certain developments had already cast a shadow over the electoral process.

Bilawal said his party had repeatedly expressed concerns regarding the handling of refugee seats before the elections and questioned the decision to hold the polls in three phases. He also criticised the sequence in which the phases were scheduled, saying such decisions had generated doubts about the fairness of the electoral process.

"The responsibility of elected representatives is not merely to contest elections but to solve the people's problems. That responsibility can only be fulfilled with a legitimate public mandate. Without such a mandate, representatives lack the authority and credibility required to make important decisions," he said.

The PPP chairman also highlighted what he described as a growing disconnect between Kashmir's youth and the political system, stressing that political challenges could only be resolved through dialogue, democratic engagement and meaningful debate.

He said these internal political issues were closely linked to the broader Kashmir dispute and underscored the need to continue raising the Kashmir issue at the international level while simultaneously expanding constitutional, political and economic rights for the people of AJK.

Bilawal maintained that the people of Kashmir deserved rights comparable to those enjoyed by citizens elsewhere in Pakistan and said legislative reforms were necessary to ensure their voices were heard at the national level.

Referring to the PPP's election manifesto, he urged voters to support the party's agenda centred on the "right to governance, right to ownership and right to employment".

He expressed confidence that a stronger electoral mandate than the party received in the previous elections would enable the PPP to implement its proposed reforms and fulfil its commitments to the people of Azad Kashmir.

His remarks came when PML-N is winning on nine seats among 13 constituencies of Mirpur Division in the opening phase of the three-stage AJK Legislative Assembly elections, with the remaining phases scheduled for Muzaffarabad Division and the refugee constituencies on August 2, followed by Poonch Division on August 10. Political parties have intensified campaigning across the region as they seek to secure a majority in the 53-member Legislative Assembly.