- Nawaz kicks off PML-N’s election campaign ahead of AJK polls.
- The PML-N president promises to increase the AJK budget tenfold.
- CM Maryam promises scholarships and laptops for AJK youth.
MUZAFFARABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday said he would request Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to appoint him as prime minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) if the party secures victory in the upcoming elections.
The former prime minister made the remarks while addressing the party’s rally in Muzaffarabad, as he – accompanied by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz – launched the PML-N’s election campaign ahead of the AJK phased elections, which begin on July 27.
Addressing the party members, Nawaz said it has been a long time since he met the people of the area. “Today we meet again after a very long time. I stayed away from you,” he said.
The former prime minister also questioned why a highway was not constructed between Kohala and Muzaffarabad.
“For me, Azad Kashmir is as dear as Punjab,” he said, adding, “Azad Kashmir is my second home.”
Nawaz pledged to visit AJK every three months if his party wins the elections, promising to personally review the development work.
“If you pass the PML-N, I will personally come here every three months to assess the progress of the development work,” he said.
He urged voters to support the PML-N, saying the party would work to resolve the region’s problems if elected.
Referring to the development in Punjab, the PML-N president said the projects were initiated by Prime Minister Shehbaz and were now being completed by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.
Nawaz promised to increase AJK’s budget tenfold if his party formed the government, while pledging to carry out major infrastructure and social welfare projects.
According to the former prime minister, the PML-N never discriminated in development projects between AJK, Gilgit-Baltistan and the four provinces, saying development projects similar to those in Punjab would also be launched in the region.
Nawaz recalled that AJK’s budget was doubled when he was the Prime Minister of Pakistan. “If our government is formed here, we will increase Kashmir’s budget tenfold,” he said.
He further announced that 10 electric and air-conditioned green buses would reach Muzaffarabad in the coming days and 15 mobile hospitals would also be brought to the region.
“2,000 purses and laptops”
Addressing the gathering, the Punjab Chief Minister said she had not come to the region as a guest. “This is my Azad Jammu and Kashmir. I am Kashmiri by blood, heart and mind, soul and ancestry,” she added.
Referring to the previous AJK polls, CM Maryam claimed that the PML-N won 17 seats while the then Prime Minister’s party secured three seats.
Maryam claimed that the then Prime Minister had requested that the election results in AJK be changed, saying that this was the reason for the ongoing problems in the region.
Without naming anyone, the Punjab chief minister slammed political opponents for filing complaints and making allegations during their speeches.
“I respectfully ask you: Who are you complaining about when your own government is here?” ” she said, referring to the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).
The Punjab CM said that she did not come just to make promises but presented to the people the results of the two years of Punjab rule. “We have not come to seek votes, but if you elect the PML-N, I promise you that the destiny of Azad Kashmir will change,” she added.
CM Maryam also announced plans to extend Punjab government’s initiatives to AJK, including housing, cleanliness and youth support schemes.
She announced educational support measures for young people, saying she had also brought 2,000 youth scholarships and laptops.
The Punjab CM said that ‘Apni Chhat Apna Ghar’ project would also be launched in the region, adding that she would request Prime Minister Shehbaz to introduce a ‘Suthra Azad Kashmir’ project for the region.
