Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has vowed to reclaim all of the party’s seats in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) elections through legal and constitutional means, as he pressed for an investigation into alleged rigging during the first phase of polling.
According to the results, the PML-N won nine seats while the PPP secured four of the 13 seats contested in the Mirpur division. The PPP has repeatedly criticised the conduct of the elections, while PML-N leaders have rejected allegations of rigging.
Addressing a press conference in Muzaffarabad late on Wednesday, Bilawal said the PPP had evidence of polling stations where the turnout was recorded at 99%, stressing that 30 polling stations had been occupied.
He said the party would not allow anyone to “rob” it of its votes and vowed to reclaim all its seats through legal and constitutional means.
“Kashmir will decide the fate of Kashmir and no one else,” Bilawal said, adding that the PPP had a solution to the challenges facing AJK.
He said the PPP’s demands should be accepted, hoping that the party’s grievances would be addressed before the second phase of voting, scheduled for August 2. He also urged the Election Commission to take immediate action over alleged electoral irregularities.
He added that if the inquiry found the Azad Kashmir prime minister responsible for wrongdoing, the PPP would be ready to accept accountability on those terms.
The PPP chairman called on all stakeholders to establish a truth and reconciliation commission to investigate allegations surrounding the elections and submit a report. He also urged all stakeholders to halt further protests until the commission completed its investigation.
Bilawal called on the authorities to restore internet services in Muzaffarabad for local residents.
No election boycott
The PPP chairman warned against boycotting the second phase of the AJK elections, saying such a move would give those accused of rigging greater freedom to manipulate the electoral process.
“In an environment of boycott, the decision of the AJK government will be made by Raiwind, not Kashmir,” Bilawal said, referring to the PML-N’s political stronghold.
The PPP chairman said Kashmiris deeply resented the party whose ministers questioned whether the people of Rawalakot were truly Kashmiri,
Bilawal said the public would reject those who sought to win elections through violence and the use of force.
“Let the state fear the day when the PPP says we do not accept these elections,” he warned. He vowed that the party would reclaim every seat it believed had been taken from it through legal and constitutional channels.
