Bilawal claims PPP has ‘won’ AJK election majority, alleges widespread rigging

WEB DESK: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Tuesday claimed that his party had already secured a majority in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) elections regardless of the final vote count, alleging widespread electoral irregularities and vowing to challenge the results through constitutional and democratic means.

Addressing a workers’ convention in Muzaffarabad, Bilawal said the PPP stood with the government of Pakistan on issues of national interest but would not support policies that, in his view, prioritised the interests of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) over those of the country.

“I urge Pakistan to open its eyes. Look at what has happened to the country in the name of the PML-N. Look at what is being done to Kashmir,“ Bilawal said, adding that the state must decide whether protecting the national interest or the interests of a political party should take precedence..

Bilawal accused the authorities of attempting to portray the electoral process as democratic despite what he described as violence and irregularities. He alleged that around 30 polling stations had been taken over, claimed that a PPP worker had been killed during polling, and said he possessed video evidence of alleged electoral rigging.

“If there is ballot stuffing at dozens of polling stations, firing incidents, and internet shutdowns across Kashmir, then it will not look like Azad Kashmir,” he said. “We will never let Azad Kashmir become ‘occupied’ Kashmir.”

The PPP chairman alleged that his party would not allow its mandate to be stolen, questioning how senior PPP leader Chaudhry Muhammad Yasin could win in an urban constituency but lose in his ancestral constituency. Congratulating the party’s successful candidates, Bilawal maintained that the PPP had emerged as the majority party irrespective of the official vote count.

“No matter what the final vote count says, the PPP has already won the majority,” he said. “We will neither back down nor bow to anyone. We will reclaim 100% of our seats.”

He further argued that free, fair and transparent elections in AJK should have been held before similar polls elsewhere in Pakistan. Bilawal alleged that the pattern of electoral manipulation was not new, saying the PPP had remained silent in the past in the interest of national unity but could no longer ignore what it viewed as repeated interference in the democratic process.

The PPP chairman also questioned whether the people of Kashmir were unaware of what was happening, saying they were closely watching developments. He alleged that giving priority to the interests of the PML-N over the national interest was not a recent phenomenon and said the party had repeatedly raised concerns over previous elections.

Paying tribute to the voters of Mirpur, Bilawal thanked the public for participating enthusiastically in the electoral process, saying it was the people’s responsibility to vote for the PPP while it was the party’s duty to protect those votes. He added that the PPP had always made sacrifices for democracy and would continue to defend the public mandate.

Referring to unrest in AJK over recent months, Bilawal said the situation could have been resolved peacefully. He argued that, regardless of the allegations surrounding the issue, “it was 100% possible for the prime minister to resolve it without danger or violence.”

Calling for accountability, Bilawal demanded an investigation into the reported incidents of firing and killings during the elections and urged the formation of an independent commission to examine the overall situation. He also said the election of the President of Azad Kashmir should be conducted strictly in accordance with the Constitution and reiterated the party’s demand to be awarded what it considers its rightful seats.