Saeed Ghani accuses PML-N of being behind the death; Azma says ballot papers found at PPP candidate’s home
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and the Pakistan Peoples Party, coalition partners in the federal government, leveled allegations of manipulation at each other as the death of a party member spoiled the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly elections.
The PPP alleged that a party member was killed in Kotli, followed by condemnations by party president Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.
Sindh Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani accused the PML-N of being behind the killing, alleging that the shooting was the result of an election campaign marred by code of conduct violations and attempts to influence voters.
Addressing a joint press conference, Ghani said 35-year-old party member Mukhtar Younus was killed during polling in Nikyal and alleged that the party received information that the firing came from the PML-N candidate or his supporters, adding that several PPP workers were also injured.
“The way this election campaign was run, the result is that bullets are being fired today,” he said. “Our workers are dying.”
Questioning the Electoral Commission’s handling of the polls, Ghani said repeated violations of the code of conduct went unchecked and the Electoral Commission’s role “is simply not visible.”
He also accused the Punjab government of trying to influence voters by announcing buses for AJK during the election campaign. “If these buses had been sent before the election campaign, we would have appreciated it,” he said. “These are not gifts; these are attempts to influence elections. This kind of drama is being staged to buy the votes of politically conscious Kashmiris.”
Ghani also criticized PML-N President Nawaz Sharif’s recent remarks comparing Kashmir to Kashmir and Mirpur to Mirpur Khas, saying they had offended the people of Sindh.
“When you say ‘this is Kashmir, not Kashmir’ or ‘this is Mirpur, not Mirpur Khas’, you are hurting the people of Sindh,” he said. “Maybe this is why people say that the PML-N is not a national party but a Punjabi party.”
He said similar tactics were employed in the Gilgit-Baltistan elections and dismissed depictions of Karachi as a bankrupt city. “Almost every household in Britain has some connection with Karachi. They know what Karachi is and what Sindh is,” he said, adding that many Kashmiris also lived in Sindh.
“If the election is fair, I hope the results will be no different from those in Britain.”
Meanwhile, Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari has touted the provincial government’s record on governance and development as the party’s main election message, while accusing rival parties of relying on criticism and rigging rather than performance.
Addressing a press conference at the Directorate General of Public Relations Punjab (DGPR), Azma said the PML-N expected AJK voters to judge political parties on the basis of their governance and manifestos rather than “disrespectful criticism” of opponents. She also accused the PPP of rigging.
Sharing a video with the media, Azma claimed that a PML-N candidate from Kotli and a UK-based PML-N representative found bags containing ‘ballot papers’ at the house of a PPP candidate.
She further alleged that some people fled the scene with bags full of fake votes to help the PPP win.
Read: CEC urges public to fully participate in AJK polls
“Yesterday they said they would not let rigging happen. Today they are rigging,” she lamented during the press conference.
Responding to criticism from opposition parties over the provision of buses to AJK, Azma asserted that critics argue that buses should not be seen as freebies because public transport is a basic requirement.
“If buses are indeed a basic need, then why are they not providing this service to the people living in the provinces they govern?
The minister also clarified that the buses announced for AJK have not yet started operations.
The minister claimed that people of Mirpur division were voting despite calls for boycott from what she termed “evil elements” and said Kashmiris were demanding development initiatives similar to those launched in Punjab, including electric buses, scholarships, Apni Chhat Apna Ghar scheme, Asaan Karobar Finance and technical training of youth for employment abroad under the Parwaz Card initiative.
“No other party can present the performance of the province it governs to seek votes in AJK,” she asserted, adding that only the PML-N had a positive governance record.
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Responding to criticism over Nawaz’s candidacy for AJK prime minister, Azma said the former prime minister did not need any official designation to contribute to development, arguing that he was already providing advice to the federal and Punjab governments and, being of Kashmiri origin, wanted to do the same in AJK.
Concluding the press conference, Azma reiterated that political parties should compete on governance and refrain from personal attacks.
“People should be persuaded to vote only through manifestos and performances,” she said.
