The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) engaged in a fierce verbal confrontation on Wednesday over the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) elections, each accusing the other of electoral fraud. This ongoing dispute between the two coalition partners at the federal level has persisted since the first phase of the AJK elections held on July 17.
In the Mirpur division, the PML-N secured nine seats while the PPP won four out of the 13 seats contested in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly elections. The PPP criticized the PML-N and questioned the integrity of the election process, asserting that the state must prioritize national interest over the party’s ambitions.
Responding to these allegations on X, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz dismissed the claims of rigging against her party as ironic, given the PPP’s own history. She labeled the PPP as the “master” of advanced electoral manipulation and accused it of now complaining about the very tactics it once employed.
Meanwhile, at a public rally in Muzaffarabad, where the second phase of the elections is set for August 2, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari accused the PML-N of a longstanding pattern of gaining power through rigged elections. He described the PML-N as “products of rigging from one generation to the next” and pledged that the PPP would prevent any tampering with the electoral process in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
Without directly naming PML-N President Nawaz Sharif, Bilawal claimed that the party’s first Punjab chief minister assumed office through manipulated elections. He asserted that the current prime minister and Punjab chief minister hold their positions not due to performance or popular mandate but because of Form-47, a reference to alleged electoral fraud.
In a significant development, Bilawal urged the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) not to boycott the elections, arguing that their absence would only create opportunities for rival parties. He emphasized that the PPP alone offers solutions to the challenges faced by the people of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
