Bilawal proclaims ruling coalition intact while highlighting AJK election irregularities

Pakistan People’s Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said on Wednesday that his criticism of alleged irregularities in Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s election could not bring the party’s coalition with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz to center stage, but warned that alleged fraud and what he described as theft of the public mandate could have consequences for the ruling party.

Speaking to the media after meeting AJK Legislative Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Latif Akbar and PPP workers at his residence here, Bilawal said the PPP-PML-N coalition at the federal level remained intact.

“My statements cannot jeopardize our coalition with the federal government,” Bilawal said while warning that alleged manipulation of the AJK election process and denial of the public mandate could create difficulties for the alliance.

The PPP chairman said alleged vote theft and what he called an attack on the people’s mandate was “unacceptable”, asserting that he could not remain silent when party workers were allegedly attacked.

“If my worker is killed, how can I remain silent?” he asked, saying he had the right to raise his voice for the rights of the PPP workers and the people.

Bilawal said the political crisis in AJK could be resolved through democratic means and called for the people’s mandate to be respected. He alleged that voting had been disrupted in about 30 polling stations and claimed that the PPP got four seats instead of the eight it expected.

He further alleged that fraud had taken place in Kotli and alleged that votes were “stolen at gunpoint”. Demanding that AJK voters be allowed to exercise their democratic right freely, Bilawal said any attempt to undermine the electoral process was unacceptable.

READ: PML-N secures strong lead in AJK polls, wins 9 out of 13 seats in Mirpur as unofficial results pour in

He urged the people of AJK to participate fully in the remaining phases of the election and urged the voters to choose their representatives through the poll. He reiterated that the PPP believed in democracy, the sanctity of the vote and respect for the public mandate.

Bilawal’s remarks came amid heightened political tensions following the first phase of AJK legislative assembly elections in Mirpur Division, where the PML-N emerged as the leading party while the PPP alleged irregularities in the election process.

PPP AJK President Chaudhry Yasin, AJK Prime Minister Faisal Rathore, Qamar Zaman Kaira, Nadeem Afzal Chan and Nabila Ayub were also present.