Bilawal extends olive branch to PTI, calls for united fight against AJK manipulation

Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Thursday made a rare call for political unity, extending an olive branch to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and urging its leaders and workers to join his party, abandon the boycott policy and participate in the electoral process against the alleged rigging in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir elections.

At an election rally in Muzaffarabad, Bilawal criticized the PTI for boycotting the elections, saying, “If you want to boycott, then stay home” and urged the party to fight for their rights by participating in elections and participating in politics.

He also invited PTI leaders and workers to join the PPP.

“Today I extend my hand to the PTI workers. Today I extend my hand to the sincere politicians of the PTI. Every political party that is tired of manipulation, every political worker who wants to take their own decision, come and take my hand,” he said, adding that “together we can also bring reforms through Parliament.”

Bilawal said Pakistan and AJK should have free and fair elections, adding that if the agenda was limited to ensuring transparent elections, he was willing to work with all political parties to achieve that goal.

The PPP chairman also launched a fresh attack on the ruling PML-N, claiming that he feared another electoral defeat in AJK after losing Gilgit-Baltistan because it could weaken his position in the federal government.

Alleging that the PML-N was stealing the PPP’s mandate, Bilawal warned that such actions would have political consequences.

Read: AJK Assembly passes resolution seeking Truth Commission into recent unrest

“If you continue to steal our mandate, your federal government will fall and I will come to overthrow you,” he said.

He vowed to defend the PPP mandate, recalling the party’s confrontation with military rulers from General Zia-ul-Haq to General Pervez Musharraf.

“We know how to protect our mandate and we will do so,” Bilawal declared. “Our jiyalas are experts in hunting lions.”

Bilawal also accused the PML-N of benefiting from electoral fraud, alleging that the AJK Election Commission had ignored video evidence presented by the PPP of alleged irregularities in Mirpur.

Questioning the commission’s decision to issue election notification despite complaints, he demanded that all complaints related to the first phase of elections be resolved by August 2.

“A notification cannot turn an evil into a good, nor can it hide the theft of votes,” he stated.

He also called for electoral registers and voter lists to be made public, saying transparency was essential to restore confidence in the electoral process.

Read more: Results of first phase of AJK polls reported

Bilawal framed the August 2 vote as an election about Kashmir’s political future, urging voters to support the PPP’s arrow symbol for what he described as the “right to governance, the right to property and the right to employment.”

“Election results must be decided by vote, not by bullet,” he said, demanding that electoral agents not be removed and that alleged vote theft not be hidden behind official notifications.

He questioned whether the PML-N’s political interests had become more important than Pakistan’s national interest and said the PPP would not accept what he described as a stolen mandate, vowing to protect his party’s electoral rights.

Regarding his party’s manifesto for AJK, Bilawal said the PPP had historically promoted the Kashmir cause, stating that former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto had secured observer status for Kashmir in the United Nations.

He promised that if elected, the PPP would include AJK in the National Finance Commission Award, give it representation in the Senate and ensure that the people of Kashmir receive property rights, employment opportunities for the youth and the right to govern themselves.

He also called for recognition of the rights of Kashmiri migrants living in Pakistan and proposed proportional representation for Kashmiri migrants in all provincial assemblies.

Bilawal promised that communities affected by the development projects would receive their fair share of the revenue.

Referring to the Neelum-Jhelum project, he said since it generated electricity for Pakistan, the people of Muzaffarabad deserved clean drinking water, electricity, employment opportunities for local youth and a fair share of the project’s revenue.

He said the PPP would ensure that revenue from all development projects was shared with the people of Kashmir and every penny would be accounted for.

Bilawal also said that the issues of landless Kashmiris residing in Sialkot will be raised in the Punjab Assembly.

Terming employment as a basic right, he said jobs created through development projects in AJK should be offered to local youth first.

He said internet services had been restored in Muzaffarabad and Mirpur, adding that his party would work to provide high-speed internet so that the youth could remain connected to the rest of the world.

Welcoming development initiatives in AJK, Bilawal said he appreciated every bus and hospital provided to the people of Kashmir but added that such services should remain operational.

Read also: Bilawal seeks to protect coalition from AJK electoral breakdown

Criticizing the PML-N government, he questioned why infrastructure projects remained incomplete despite the passage of several years and claimed that the PPP had established all three medical colleges in AJK.

He said Muzaffarabad needed roads, justice, employment opportunities, hospitals and the right to self-determination.

“I don’t want Kashmir to be Punjab or Sindh; I want Kashmir to be strong and independent,” he said.

Referring to the recent unrest in AJK, Bilawal said people had gone through difficult times as roads remained blocked and businesses had suffered disruptions. He said public suffering must be alleviated, banking services restored and essential services resumed.

He said the truth commission was no longer simply his proposal, stating that the AJK Legislative Assembly had already passed the relevant resolution. He urged the federal government to implement it and appealed to protesters to end their sit-in and accept the commission.

“If you want peace in Kashmir, then vote for Arrow and the PPP,” he said.

Bilawal asked voters to go out with their families on August 2 and vote for the PPP’s arrow electoral symbol.

He also thanked his supporters for attending the rally despite the rain and said their presence reflected the people’s support for the PPP and Benazir’s legacy.