Saeed Ghani accuses PML-N of being behind death; Azma says ballots have been found at the PPP candidate’s residence
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and the Pakistan Peoples Party, coalition partners in the federal government, leveled allegations of fraud against each other as the death of a party worker marred the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly elections.
The PPP alleged that a party worker was killed in Kotli, with condemnations following party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.
Sindh Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani accused the PML-N of being behind the killing, claiming the shooting was the result of an election campaign marred by violations of the code of conduct and attempts to influence voters.
Addressing a joint press conference, Ghani said that party worker 35-year-old Mukhtar Younus had been killed during the Nikyal poll and alleged that the party had received information indicating that 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.”
Ghani questioned the Election Commission’s handling of the polls, saying repeated violations of the code of conduct had gone unchecked and that the Election Commission’s role was “simply not visible”.
He also accused the Punjab government of trying to sway voters by announcing buses to 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 staged to buy the votes of politically conscious Kashmiris.”
Ghani also criticized recent remarks by PML-N President Nawaz Sharif comparing Kashmir to Kashmore and Mirpur to Mirpur Khas, saying they had insulted the people of Sindh.
“When you say ‘this is Kashmir, not Kashmore’ or ‘this is Mirpur, not Mirpur Khas’, you are hurting the people of Sindh,” he said. “Maybe that’s why people say PML-N is not a national party but a Punjabi party.”
He said similar tactics had been used during the Gilgit-Baltistan elections and rejected portrayals of Karachi as a failed city. “Almost every household in GB 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 election is held fairly, I hope the results will be no different to those in the UK.”
Meanwhile, Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari projected the provincial government’s governance and development record as the party’s key election message, while accusing rival parties of relying on criticism and cheating 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 OPP of rigging.
Azma shared a video with the media and claimed that a PML-N candidate from Kotli and a UK-based PML-N representative had discovered bags of “ballot papers” at a PPP candidate’s residence.
She further alleged that some persons fled the spot with bags filled with fake 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 provided to AJK, Azma claimed that critics argue that buses should not be seen as gifts because public transport constituted a basic requirement.
“If buses are really a basic need, why don’t they provide this facility to people living in the provinces they govern?”
The minister also clarified that buses advertised for AJK had not yet commenced operations.
Claiming that residents of Mirpur division voted despite boycott calls from what she called “malicious elements”, the minister said Kashmiris were demanding development initiatives similar to those launched in Punjab, including electric buses, scholarships, Apni Chhat Apna Ghar programme, Asaan Karobar Finance and technical training for youth for overseas employment initiative under Parwasz Card.
“No other party can present the performance of the province it rules to seek votes in AJK,” she claimed, adding that only PML-N had positive governance.
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Responding to criticism of Nawaz’s quest for premiership of AJK, Azma said the former premier did not require any official designation to contribute to development, claiming that he was already providing guidance to the federal and Punjab governments and, being of Kashmiri origin, wanted to do the same in AJK.
Concluding the press conference, Azma reiterated that political parties should compete for governance and refrain from personal attacks.
“People must be persuaded to vote only through manifestos and achievements,” she said.
