AJK PML-N chief rejects PPP's rigging allegations in polls, terms them 'baseless'
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) President Shah Ghulam Qadir on Thursday dismissed the Pakistan Peoples Party's (PPP) allegations of irregularities as "baseless", saying the election results reflected the confidence reposed in the PML-N by the people.
Speaking to party office-bearers and workers from across AJK and among refugees from Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) residing in Pakistan, Qadir congratulated party supporters on a "resounding victory".
He said the PML-N, under the leadership of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, would soon establish a stable government in AJK and usher in a new phase of development and public welfare.
"The development projects previously undertaken in AJK are a testament to the PML-N's performance and we remain committed to resolving people's problems at their doorstep," he said.
With the final phase of polling in Rawalakot Division scheduled for August 10, Qadir urged party workers to help maintain peace and order during the election process and play a positive role in easing public concerns.
Describing Rawalakot as the land of "brave and resilient people," he appealed to voters in the division to support the PML-N in the upcoming polling, expressing confidence that the party would secure a clean sweep in the region.
Commenting on the opposition's criticism of the electoral process, Qadir dismissed the PPP's allegations of irregularities as "baseless".
He maintained that polling in Mirpur Division, Muzaffarabad Division and the 12 refugee constituencies reserved for Kashmiri refugees from IIOJK settled in Pakistan had been free and fair, adding that voters had expressed their confidence in the PML-N through the ballot.
He also criticised the PPP, saying the party should focus on the performance of its government in Sindh rather than targeting the PML-N.
Several party leaders, including AJK Legislative Assembly member Raja Muhammad Riasat Khan, former minister Sardar Farooq Sikandar, Kashmir Council member Malik Muhammad Hanif and other senior PML-N figures, attended the meeting and congratulated Qadir on the party's electoral performance in Muzaffarabad Division, Mirpur Division and the refugee constituencies for Kashmiris from IIOJK settled in Pakistan.