Why AJK Results Sparked a Heated Debate
News Desk
Muzaffarabad: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has strongly defended the transparency of the first phase of elections to the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly, dismissing allegations of irregularities raised by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and urging aggrieved parties to seek legal recourse.
Speaking at a joint press conference in Islamabad alongside Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Amir Muqam, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah said the July 27 elections for 13 AJK Legislative Assembly seats were conducted in a peaceful, free, fair and credible manner.
He said the people of Azad Kashmir exercised their democratic right by electing their representatives and stressed that any party dissatisfied with the outcome should approach the relevant constitutional and legal forums instead of questioning the electoral process.
Referring to Election Commission figures, Rana Sanaullah said the PML-N secured nine of the 13 contested seats, while the PPP won four.
Separately, Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal, accompanied by Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, rejected allegations made by PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari regarding the conduct of the elections.
Ahsan Iqbal said Bilawal Bhutto’s remarks reflected an undemocratic approach and urged him to respect the public mandate rather than level what he described as baseless allegations.
He also took aim at the PPP’s governance in Sindh, claiming that voters in Azad Kashmir had endorsed the PML-N’s development agenda while rejecting the PPP’s performance.
