Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said on Monday his party would expand its protest campaign over alleged election irregularities in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) into a nationwide movement. He renewed his warning that the ruling PML-N's "countdown" had begun.
Why is Bilawal accusing PML-N of AJK election rigging?
Bilawal repeated allegations that PML-N manipulated the ongoing AJK elections, despite the two parties governing together at the federal level. His remarks followed PML-N's lead in Mirpur polling on July 27 and its majority win in the second phase of voting, which prompted PPP accusations of rigging and violence.
In a series of videos posted on X, Bilawal said the PPP's struggle for "the people's right to governance, ownership and employment" would extend beyond Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. "This movement will not remain restricted to the mountains of Kashmir or Gilgit-Baltistan. God-willing, I will run this movement across the entire Pakistan," he said.
What warning did Bilawal give PML-N?
Addressing PML-N directly, Bilawal said: "You can hear those voices, listen carefully, tick tock, tick tock. Your countdown has begun." He issued a similar warning to the federal government last week, and praised PPP supporters in Kashmir for standing up against what he called "the PML-N, its threats, rigging and bullets" during the elections.
Bilawal repeated claims that one party worker was killed, a PPP lawmaker was wounded by gunfire, and acting AJK President Chaudhry Latif Akbar was attacked during polling in Muzaffarabad on Sunday. PML-N has rejected the claim about the party worker, saying the man died of a heart attack and had no PPP affiliation.
What has Bilawal said about the AJK election results?
In a separate video, Bilawal alleged the elections had not been transparent, calling them "rigging elections, bullet elections, murderous elections and bloody elections." He said the PPP had still won nine seats despite the alleged irregularities and pledged to recover what he called the party's "stolen" seats in Mirpur and Muzaffarabad.
Bilawal urged voters in Muzaffarabad's LA-27 (Kutla) and LA-28 (Lachhrat) constituencies to back PPP candidates Basil Naqvi and Javed Ayub in polling scheduled for Tuesday, after voting was postponed due to bad weather. He also announced a public rally in Bagh ahead of elections across the Poonch division on August 10.
When will the remaining AJK constituencies vote?
The AJK Election Commission said it was prepared to hold elections in all remaining constituencies except Rawalakot city and Thorar, where security concerns could delay voting. Election Commissioner Ghulam Mustafa Mughal told reporters that preparations were complete, but that law and order conditions and voter safety would determine the final schedule.
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