Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari declared on Friday that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has miscalculated its chances of forming the government in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). Speaking at a public gathering in the Bagh district of AJK, Bilawal asserted that not only is the PML-N’s claim to power in the region flawed, but their government in Islamabad also faces significant jeopardy.
He emphasized that the countdown to the end of the PML-N’s tenure has already begun, triggered by internal dissent within the party itself. Bilawal remarked that a faction within the PML-N desires Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to engage in conflicts with his coalition partners, but the true struggle lies elsewhere.
Highlighting alleged divisions within the Sharif family, the PPP leader stated, “The real conflict is between Islamabad and Lahore, a problem rooted within the family.” This comes amid the backdrop of the ongoing AJK elections, where the PML-N currently leads with 24 seats after the first two phases, while the PPP holds 10 seats.
Earlier this week, the Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs, Rana Sanaullah, confirmed that the PML-N had achieved a simple majority to establish the government in AJK. However, the final phase of polling is scheduled for August 10 in the Poonch Division’s Bagh and Haveli districts, which could influence the overall outcome.
At the rally, Bilawal vowed to challenge the PML-N’s dominance, symbolized by the party’s electoral emblem, the lion, in the upcoming elections. He reminded supporters that 11 seats remain undecided and expressed confidence in forming a PPP-led government in Kashmir.
Responding to Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s comments about systemic failure, Bilawal countered by saying, “The system has not collapsed on its own; it has been deliberately undermined.” He stressed that the system will only function effectively when the sovereignty of the people is fully acknowledged.
