MUZAFFARABAD – Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has launched a scathing attack on the conduct of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) elections, alleging that the vote in Mirpur and Kotli was “robbed” and accusing the state of prioritizing the interests of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) over national interest.
Addressing a workers’ convention in Muzaffarabad on Sunday, Bhutto Zardari questioned whether the ongoing process could be called democracy. “The people of Mirpur gave the PPP a majority with their votes, but it seems every decision of the state is favoring the PML-N,” he said. “The loss is being borne by Kashmir, Pakistan, and its people.”
State Must Choose Between National Interest and PML-N Interest
Bhutto Zardari directly challenged the state apparatus, demanding a clear choice. “The state must decide: is national interest more important to you, or is the interest of the PML-N? We stand with the state of Pakistan in the national interest, not in the interest of the PML-N.”
He warned against conflating party and national interests, stating, “Open your eyes. Look at what has happened to Pakistan in the name of the PML-N’s interest. What are you doing with Kashmir? This is Azad Kashmir, and we will never let it become occupied Kashmir. Do you want Poonch to appear as part of occupied Kashmir, not Azad Kashmir?”
Internet Shutdown and Security Lapses
The PPP chairman criticized the authorities’ decision to shut down the internet during the polls, arguing it made the region resemble occupied Kashmir rather than a free territory. “Do you think all political parties are fools? Don’t the people of Kashmir know what you are doing to them?” he asked.
Highlighting security failures, Bhutto Zardari questioned how 30 polling stations could be attacked despite security arrangements. “If it happened in one or two constituencies, we could accept it. But how do we accept attacks on 30 polling? You held the elections in phases for the purpose of rigging.”
Rigging Allegations Continue
>Bhutto Zardari vowed not to abandon his party workers, stating, “You killed a PPP worker, but despite that, all your efforts failed. I will not leave them. I will get their rights.”
Former Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, also speaking at the convention, echoed the allegations of rigging. In a press conference, he claimed that officials had manually stamped ballot papers in areas where voter turnout was below 25 percent, yet results showed 90 percent turnout. “If the system loses, no one will gain anything. Democracy will be harmed. Such things are not in anyone’s interest,” he said.
The PPP leaders’ statements come amid a tense political climate in Azad Kashmir, where the first phase of elections was completed amid allegations of irregularities and violence. The Election Commission has defended the process, but opposition parties continue to demand a re-poll in several constituencies under military supervision.
