PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari addresses a PPP workers’ convention in Muzaffarabad on July 29—PPP
MUZAFFARABAD:
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Wednesday said his criticism of alleged irregularities in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) elections would not jeopardize the party’s coalition with the PML-N at the Centre, but warned that the alleged fraud and what he described as theft of the public mandate could have implications for the ruling alliance.
Speaking to the media after meeting AJK Legislative Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Latif Akbar and PPP workers at his residence here, the Bhutto scion said the PPP-PML-N coalition at the federal level remains intact.
“My statements cannot jeopardize our coalition with the federal government,” Bilawal said, warning that AJK’s alleged manipulation of the electoral process and denial of public mandate could create difficulties for the alliance.
The PPP chairman said the alleged vote theft and what he called an assault on the people’s mandate were “unacceptable”, arguing that he could not remain silent when party workers were attacked.
“If my worker is killed, how can I remain silent?” he asked, saying he had the right to raise his voice for the rights of the PPP workers and the people.
Bilawal said the political crisis in AJK could be resolved through democratic means and called for the people’s mandate to be respected. He stated that voting had been interfered with in around thirty polling stations and stated that the PPP obtained four seats instead of the eight it expected.
He said rigging had taken place in Kotli and claimed that votes were “stolen at gunpoint”. Bilawal demanded that AJK voters be allowed to freely exercise their democratic right and said any attempt to undermine the electoral process was unacceptable.
Calling on the people of AJK to participate fully in the remaining phases of the elections, he urged voters to elect their representatives through voting. He reiterated that the PPP believed in democracy, the sanctity of the vote and respect for the public mandate.
Bilawal’s comments came amid heightened political tensions following the first phase of AJK Legislative Assembly elections in Mirpur Division, where the PML-N emerged as the leading party while the PPP alleged irregularities in the electoral process.
PPP AJK Chairman Chaudhry Yasin, AJK Chief Minister Faisal Rathore, Qamar Zaman Kaira, Nadeem Afzal Chan and Nabila Ayub were also present on the occasion.
Maryam mocks
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday dismissed PPP’s allegations of election rigging in AJK.
In a post on In an apparent mockery of the PPP chairman’s comments, he asked: “What time is doomsday?”
In a separate statement, the Punjab Chief Minister said political parties should focus on their own performance instead of criticizing others.
“If you had performance, governance and a public agenda, you wouldn’t be wasting your time attacking others,” he said.
Referring to the PPP’s long rule in Sindh, Maryam said the party had little to show despite having been in power in the province for 17 years.
He claimed that AJK voters had backed the PML-N due to its governance initiatives, including public transport projects, housing schemes, agricultural support programmes, improved road infrastructure and better law and order.
He urged Bilawal to accept the election result in AJK and instead focus on addressing the challenges faced by Sindh.
(With contributions from our Lahore correspondent)
