PPP, PML-N fling rigging allegations as party worker’s death mars AJK polls
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Pakistan Peoples Party, coalition partners in the federal government, lobbed rigging allegations at each other as a party worker’s death marred the elections for the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly.
The PPP alleged that a party worker was killed in Kotli, with condemnations following from party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.
Sindh Local Governments Minister Saeed Ghani accused the PML-N of being behind the killing, alleging that the shooting was the result of an election campaign marred by code of conduct violations and attempts to influence voters.
Addressing a joint press conference, Ghani said party worker 35-year-old Mukhtar Younus had been killed during polling in Nikyal and alleged that the party had received information indicating the firing had come from the PML-N candidate or his supporters, adding that several PPP workers had also been injured.
“The way this election campaign was conducted, the result is that bullets are being fired today,” he said. “Our workers are dying.”
Questioning the Election Commission’s handling of the polls, Ghani said repeated violations of the code of conduct had gone unchecked and that the Election Commission’s role “is simply not visible”.
He also accused the Punjab government of attempting to sway voters by announcing buses for AJK during the election campaign. “If these buses had been sent before the election campaign, we would have appreciated it,” he said. “These are not gifts; they are attempts to influence the elections. This kind of drama is being staged to buy the votes of politically aware Kashmiris.”
Ghani also criticised recent remarks by PML-N President Nawaz Sharif comparing Kashmir with Kashmore and Mirpur with Mirpur Khas, saying they had offended people in Sindh.
“When you say ‘this is Kashmir, not Kashmore’ or ‘this is Mirpur, not Mirpur Khas’, you hurt the people of Sindh,” he said. “Perhaps that is why people say the PML-N is not a national party but a Punjabi party.”
He said similar tactics had been employed during the Gilgit-Baltistan elections and rejected portrayals of Karachi as a failed city. “Almost every household in G-B has a connection with Karachi. They know what Karachi is and what Sindh is,” he said, adding that many Kashmiris also lived in Sindh.
“If the elections are held fairly, I hope the results will be no different from those in G-B.”
Meanwhile, Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari projected the provincial government’s governance and development record as the party’s principal electoral message, while accusing rival parties of relying on criticism and rigging instead of performance.
Addressing a press conference at the Punjab Directorate General Public Relations (DGPR), Azma said the PML-N expected AJK voters to judge political parties based on governance and manifestos rather than “disrespectful criticism” of opponents. She also accused the PPP of rigging.
Sharing a video with the media, Azma claimed that a PML-N candidate from Kotli and a UK-based PML-N representative had discovered bags containing “ballot papers” at the residence of a PPP candidate.
She further alleged that some individuals fled from the location carrying bags filled with bogus votes to help the PPP win.
Read: CEC urges public to fully participate in AJK polls
“Yesterday they said they would not let rigging happen. Today they are rigging,” she lamented during the press conference.
Responding to criticism from opposition parties regarding buses being provided to AJK, Azma asserted that critics argue that buses should not be viewed as gifts because public transport constituted a basic requirement.
“If buses are indeed a basic need, then why don’t they provide this facility to people living in the provinces they govern?”
The minister also clarified that buses announced for AJK had not yet commenced operations.
The minister claimed that residents of Mirpur division were voting despite boycott calls from what she termed “nefarious elements” and said Kashmiris were demanding development initiatives similar to those launched in Punjab, including electric buses, scholarships, the Apni Chhat Apna Ghar programme, Asaan Karobar Finance and youth technical training for overseas employment under the Parwaz Card initiative.
“No other party can present the performance of the province it governs for seeking votes in AJK,” she claimed, adding that only the PML-N had a positive governance record.
Read more: Ten more die as monsoon death toll tops 100
Replying to criticism of Nawaz’s seeking premiership of AJK, Azma said the former premier did not require any official designation to contribute to development, arguing that he was already providing guidance to the federal and Punjab governments and, being of Kashmiri origin, wished to do the same in AJK.
Concluding the press conference, Azma reiterated that political parties should compete on governance and refrain from personal attacks.
“People should be persuaded to vote through manifestos and performance only,” she said.Read More
