Bilawal says PPP is fit to form government in AJK

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has asserted that the party is in a strong position to form the government in Azad Jammu and Kashmir as the incumbent prime minister faces a no-confidence motion.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad on Friday, Bilawal said the PPP would serve the people of AJK for the remainder of the term of the legislative assembly. “I promise the people of Kashmir that I will not let them down. There is a political solution to all the problems of Kashmir and finding solutions has always been the identity of the PPP,” he said.

Bilawal said the foundation of the PPP was based on the cause of Kashmir 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 fall on Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari,” he added.

Read more: PPP wins simple majority to form government in AJK

He also rejected the suggestion that decisions on AJK’s leadership would be made from the capital. “The name of Azad Kashmir chief minister will be announced from Kashmir, not from Islamabad,” he said.

The PPP chairman recalled that the party had fully participated in the previous AJK elections. “At that time, Imran Khan’s government was in power and the role of the establishment was before everyone. Despite such circumstances, we won the elections. However, our victory turned into defeat overnight,” Bilawal mentioned. He said apolitical decision-making created a political vacuum in Kashmir, causing harm to the region.

Bilawal reiterated that the PPP continued to represent the people in the assembly and has now secured the necessary numbers to form the government. “We will do our best to fulfill the aspirations of the people of Kashmir. The remaining term 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 the PPP, allowing the party to obtain the required majority. The next day, the PPP and the 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 opposition benches’ motion.

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 prime minister and the subsequent process to elect a new prime minister, calling the move a “political game” aimed at undermining public representation.