Lahore: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday hailed the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) performance in the first phase of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) elections, thanking Allah for the party’s ‘resounding victory’ in Mirpur Division.
The CM also urged the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) to accept the electoral verdict instead of alleging rigging.
Congratulating the people of Mirpur and Kotli, she said voters had chosen development and a better future by supporting the PML-N. She maintained that the people had endorsed the party’s vision for progress and expressed confidence that the outcome of the first phase would influence the remaining stages of the elections.
The CM congratulated PML-N President Nawaz Sharif and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, saying the electorate had endorsed the party’s message and manifesto. She also appreciated the election campaign led by Rana Sanaullah, Amir Muqam and party workers.
CM Maryam Nawaz said the PML-N had won nine of the 13 key seats in the first phase and expressed optimism that the party would also succeed in the remaining constituencies.
Criticising the PPP’s reaction to the results, she said the party should have accepted the public mandate in the spirit of democracy rather than making allegations of rigging. Recalling the Gilgit-Baltistan elections, she said the PML-N had accepted the PPP’s victory without questioning the electoral process.
Referring to Sindh, she alleged that despite remaining in power for 17 years, the PPP had failed to deliver significant improvements in infrastructure and public services. She said voters now judged political parties on their performance rather than rhetoric.
CM Maryam Nawaz said the electorate had endorsed public welfare initiatives, including the Green Tractor Scheme, Apni Chhat Apna Ghar Programme, Apna Khet initiative, employment schemes, the Kisan Card, road infrastructure projects and improved law and order. She also rejected repeated allegations of rigging, claiming that videos circulating on social media showed bags of ballot papers allegedly recovered from the homes of PPP candidates. She challenged the PPP to produce similar evidence against the PML-N.
The CM maintained that the PPP had contested the AJK elections while already in power in the territory and noted that no caretaker government was in place. She said allegations of electoral manipulation effectively amounted to questioning the credibility of the PPP’s own government in Azad Kashmir.
Urging the PPP leadership to focus on governance in Sindh, she said governments earned public support through performance and service delivery rather than criticism of political opponents.
CM Maryam Nawaz assured the people of Azad Kashmir that, if elected, the PML-N would introduce reforms on the pattern of Punjab and improve public services across the region. She also appealed to voters in the remaining phases of the AJK elections, scheduled for Aug 2 and Aug 10, to support the PML-N in the interest of development and progress.