Bilawal extends olive branch to PTI, calls for united fight against AJK rigging

Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Thursday made a rare appeal for political unity, extending an olive branch to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and urging its leaders and workers to join hands with his party, abandon the boycott policy and participate in the electoral process against allegations of fraud in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir elections.

Addressing an election rally in Muzaffarabad, Bilawal slammed the PTI for boycotting the elections, saying, “If you want to boycott, then stay home” and urged the party to fight for its rights by participating in elections and engaging in politics.

He also invited PTI leaders and workers to join the PPP.

“Today, I extend my hand to PTI workers. Today, I extend my hand to sincere PTI politicians. Every political party who is fed up with gimmicks, every political worker who wants to take their own decision, come, take my hand,” he said, adding that “together we can also bring reforms through Parliament.”

Bilawal said Pakistan and AJK should hold free and fair elections, adding that while the agenda was limited to ensuring transparent polls, he was ready to work with all political parties to achieve this goal.

The PPP chairman also launched a fresh attack on the ruling PML-N, saying he feared another electoral defeat in AJK after the defeat in Gilgit-Baltistan as it could weaken his position in the federal government.

Alleging that the PML-N was stealing the mandate of the PPP, Bilawal warned that such actions would have political consequences.

Read: AJK Assembly passes resolution demanding truth commission on recent unrest

“If you continue to steal our mandate, your federal government will fall and I will come and overthrow you,” he said.

He vowed to defend the PPP’s mandate, recalling the party’s confrontation with military rulers from General Zia-ul-Haq to General Pervez Musharraf.

“We know how to protect our mandate and we will,” Bilawal said. “Our jiyalas are experts in lion hunting.”

Bilawal also accused the PML-N of benefiting from election rigging, alleging that the AJK Election Commission ignored video evidence submitted by the PPP regarding alleged irregularities in Mirpur.

Questioning the commission’s decision to issue the election notification despite complaints, he demanded that all complaints relating to the first phase of polling be resolved before August 2.

“A notification cannot turn a wrong into a right, nor can it cover up the theft of votes,” he said.

He also called for electoral registers and electoral lists to be made public, saying transparency was essential to restore confidence in the electoral process.

Learn more: Results of first phase of AJK polls notified

Bilawal framed the August 2 vote as a choice over Kashmir’s political future, calling on voters to support the PPP’s boom for what he described as “the right to governance, the right to property and the right to employment.”

“Election results should be decided by the ballot and not by the bullet,” he said, demanding that poll workers not be expelled and that allegations of vote theft not be hidden behind official notifications.

He questioned whether the PML-N’s political interests had become more important than Pakistan’s national interest and said the PPP would not accept what he described as a stolen mandate, pledging to protect his party’s electoral rights.

Turning to his party’s manifesto for AJK, Bilawal said the PPP had historically advanced the cause of Kashmir, saying former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto had obtained observer status for Kashmir at the United Nations.

He promised that, if elected, the PPP would include AJK in the National Finance Commission award, grant it representation in the Senate and ensure property rights, employment opportunities for the youth and the right to govern themselves for the people of Kashmir.

He also called for the rights of Kashmiri migrants living in Pakistan to be recognized and proposed proportional representation for Kashmiri migrants in all provincial assemblies.

Bilawal promised that communities affected by development projects would receive their rightful share of the revenue.

Referring to the Neelum-Jhelum project, he said since it generated electricity for Pakistan, the people of Muzaffarabad deserved clean water, electricity, employment opportunities for local youth and a fair share of the project’s revenue.

He said the PPP would ensure that the benefits of all development projects would be shared with the people of Kashmir and every penny would be accounted for.

Bilawal also said that the issues of Kashmiris residing in Sialkot who did not own land would be raised in the Punjab Assembly.

Terming employment as a fundamental right, he said jobs created through development projects in AJK should first be provided to the local youth.

He said internet services had been restored in Muzaffarabad and Mirpur, adding that his party would work towards providing high-speed internet access so that young people could stay connected with the rest of the world.

Hailing development initiatives in AJK, Bilawal said he appreciated every bus and hospital provided to the people of Kashmir, but added that these services should remain operational.

Read also: Bilawal seeks to protect coalition from AJK’s electoral divisions

Criticizing the PML-N government, he questioned why infrastructure projects remained unfinished despite several years and claimed that the PPP had established all three medical colleges in AJK.

He said Muzaffarabad needed roads, justice, job opportunities, hospitals and the right to self-determination.

“I don’t want to make Kashmir Punjab or Sindh; I want to make Kashmir strong and independent,” he said.

Referring to the recent unrest in AJK, Bilawal said the people had faced difficult times as roads remained blocked and businesses faced disruption. He said the suffering of the public should be alleviated, banking services restored and essential services resumed.

He said the truth commission was no longer just his proposal, saying the AJK Legislative Assembly had already passed the resolution for it. He urged the federal government to implement it and called on protesters to end their sit-in and accept the commission.

“If you want peace in Kashmir, then vote for Arrow and the PPP,” he said.

Bilawal appealed to voters to come with their families on August 2 and vote for the PPP arrow, an election symbol.

He also thanked supporters for attending the rally despite the rain, saying their presence reflected people’s support for the PPP and Benazir’s legacy.