Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Tuesday dismissed allegations of electoral manipulation by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), urging the party to accept defeat after the ruling PML-N won a commanding victory in the first phase of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) legislative elections. Unofficial results showed PML-N winning nine of 13 contested seats in Mirpur division, a region traditionally regarded as a PPP stronghold.
Why did Maryam Nawaz tell Bilawal Bhutto to accept the AJK election results?
Maryam Nawaz said the PPP's rigging accusations were an excuse for weak performance rather than a genuine grievance about the vote. She argued her party had not raised similar objections when the PPP won in Gilgit-Baltistan, and said Bilawal should instead focus on improving his party's political narrative and results.
In a video statement from Lahore, she congratulated party founder Nawaz Sharif, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and PML-N workers, saying Mirpur voters had placed their trust in the party. She said despite governing Sindh for 17 years, the PPP could not point to a single major development project in the province.
What did Maryam Nawaz say about PPP's campaign and performance?
Maryam Nawaz said PPP campaign rallies had attracted small crowds and accused the party of using inappropriate language during the campaign. She said facts and government performance were easily verifiable in what she called "the era of artificial intelligence," regardless of political claims made on the campaign trail.
She said accusations of rigging become the easy fallback when performance is lacking, adding that social media was circulating videos allegedly showing irregularities by PPP candidates. Maryam Nawaz said AJK voters were seeking improved roads, better health facilities and the same development model implemented in Punjab, including the Kisan Card program.
She also noted that the PPP had governed AJK for the past year, making it difficult to blame the federal government for the election outcome.
What did Bilawal Bhutto say about the AJK elections?
Maryam Nawaz's remarks came hours after Bilawal questioned the conduct of the ongoing elections, saying the state should place national interests above those of the ruling PML-N. He argued that concerns over the electoral process reflected a broader pattern rather than an isolated incident.
Two days before the vote, Bilawal appealed directly to Mirpur voters in a post on X, saying public infrastructure, including hospitals, roads, buses and airports, was not a favor from politicians but a right financed by taxpayers. He highlighted the PPP government's AJK budget achievements, including the recruitment of 3,308 teachers, a cardiac hospital, new roads and information technology centers.
He also said he had secured funding for Mirpur Airport in the latest federal budget and noted that the stadium hosting rival campaign rallies had been built during a previous PPP administration. Bilawal said the PPP's central promise was to secure rights of governance, ownership and employment for Kashmiris, and urged voters to support the party's arrow symbol under the slogan "Kashmir's decision by Kashmiris."
How many seats did PML-N win in the AJK elections?
The AJK Legislative Assembly elections are being held in three phases because of security concerns. Monday's polling in Mirpur division, the region's most politically significant area, was marred by scuffles between rival supporters and mutual allegations of vote rigging while polling was underway.
Preliminary results released by the AJK Election Commission gave PML-N nine seats and the PPP four in Mirpur division. The commission said the tally included ballots cast on election day as well as advance votes, which are counted separately before being added to the final results, and the outcome has intensified political tensions given Mirpur's longstanding reputation as a PPP bastion.
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