Former Prime Minister and PML-N President Nawaz Sharif on Friday advised PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari not to take political remarks personally, emphasizing healthy political rivalry rather than bitterness. Nawaz Sharif, accompanied by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, addressed an election rally in Mirpur, around 258 kilometers from Muzaffarabad. They criticized rival parties for making lofty promises before the election before transferring responsibility for solving public problems to the federal government.
"It’s Kashmir, not Kashmir, and it’s Mirpur, not Mirpurkhas," said Nawaz, referring to the two districts in Sindh where the PPP has been in power for several years. He pledged to bring AJK into a "new era of development, prosperity and modern infrastructure".
"A PML-N government will modernize AJK by developing transportation, education, healthcare and other public services," Nawaz told the gathering, adding that he would personally supervise the implementation of key development projects in the region.
"The people of Mirpur deserve the same quality of public services available in Punjab," he said, adding that if electric buses can operate in Lahore and Islamabad, there is no reason why people in AJK should be deprived of them. Nawaz said the PML-N had consistently implemented development projects in AJK and challenged political opponents to identify any government that had undertaken bigger initiatives in the region. "Wherever you see major development works in AJK, you will find the imprint of the PML-N," he said. He also announced that every meritorious student of AJK would be given a laptop to promote access to modern education and technology. Addressing the gathering, Maryam Nawaz described herself as a "Kashmiri girl"claiming that his paternal and maternal grandparents belonged to the region. "I consider myself Kashmiri in heart and soul," she said, adding that she was proud of her Kashmiri heritage despite criticism from political opponents. The Punjab Chief Minister expressed concern over the condition of roads in Mirpur, saying the city deserved better infrastructure in recognition of the sacrifices and contributions of Kashmiris to the development of Pakistan. She announced that, if elected, a PML-N government in AJK would provide 10 modern electric buses to Mirpur and reiterated Nawaz Sharif’s commitment to establish an international standard airport in the city. "Nawaz Sharif is used to keeping his promises," she said. Maryam said AJK also needed social initiatives similar to those introduced in Punjab, including modern hospitals, free medicines delivered to households, transport projects, ration cards and welfare schemes. Without naming PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, she criticized political parties which she said made lofty promises during election campaigns but transferred the responsibility of solving public problems to the federal government once in power.
