Shafaqna Pakistan: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday congratulated Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Nawaz Sharif and the party’s winning candidates after the PML-N emerged as the leading party in the second phase of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly elections.
In a statement, the prime minister extended his heartfelt congratulations to all successful PML-N candidates for their electoral victory.
Shehbaz Sharif said the party’s performance reflected the leadership of Nawaz Sharif as well as the collective efforts of the PML-N leadership and workers. He added that the party had run a successful election campaign in Azad Jammu and Kashmir under Nawaz Sharif’s leadership.
Shehbaz said the victory demonstrated the confidence of the people of AJK in the party’s policies. “The development and prosperity of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, along with the welfare and well-being of its people, remain among the foremost priorities of the PML-N,” he said.
He added that the participation of political parties in the second phase of the elections would further strengthen the democratic process.
Meanwhile, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political and Public Affairs Rana Sanaullah said PML-N had secured a simple majority in the 45-member AJK Legislative Assembly after winning 13 of the 20 seats contested so far.
Addressing a news conference alongside Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Amir Muqam in Islamabad, Sanaullah said polling had been completed on 20 seats, including 13 in the first phase and seven of the nine seats in Muzaffarabad in the second phase.
“Alhamdulillah, PML-N candidates won 13 of these 20 seats. In Muzaffarabad, PML-N candidates were successful on four of the seven seats, while the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) won three,” he said.
Sanaullah said PML-N had also won 10 of the 12 refugee seats. “PPP neither campaigned nor contested the refugee seats. On some of those seats, the contest was between PML-N and Muslim Conference candidates,” he said.
He said the results had given PML-N 23 seats, enough to form a simple majority government in AJK. Polling on 10 remaining seats would be held in the third phase after one constituency fell vacant following the death of a candidate.
Congratulating the successful candidates, Sanaullah said the incoming PML-N government would fulfil the promises made by Nawaz Sharif to the people of AJK and usher in a new era of development.
He also criticised the PPP for alleging electoral rigging after losing seats in Mirpur. “Since yesterday morning, they have been building a narrative that they were defeated through rigging. When asked for evidence, they pointed to a polling station where their own candidate secured 96% of the vote,” he said.
Referring to LA-31, Sanaullah alleged that the PPP district president had anticipated defeat and attempted to disrupt polling. “First, they demanded the deployment of Sindh Police. When that was not accepted, they spent the entire day trying to create unrest to suppress voter turnout,” he said.
He further alleged that PPP workers, along with members of an action committee, created disturbances in a city constituency by setting tyres on fire and opening fire when police arrived. “In the crossfire, one person was killed, creating fear and panic that reduced voter turnout. We estimate this cost PML-N between 3,000 and 4,000 votes in the constituency,” he said.
Sanaullah also questioned PPP’s claims that one of its MNAs had been injured. “First they claimed his arm had been blown off, then they said it was his thumb, and later that a bullet had only grazed him. No medical evidence was produced,” he said.
Appealing to PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Sanaullah said attempts to discredit the electoral process through “baseless propaganda” were harmful to democracy and inconsistent with the Charter of Democracy signed by Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif.
He maintained that the elections were free, fair and credible, expressing confidence that PML-N would secure three or four of the remaining seats. “We thank all PML-N coordinators, workers and voters who campaigned tirelessly, going from street to street and village to village,” he said.
Separately, Kashmir Affairs Minister Amir Muqam described the party’s performance as a victory not only for PML-N but also for democracy and the state. “This success is not just our party’s success. Most importantly, the writ of the government has been established and democracy has prevailed,” he said.
Source: Express Tribune
