PML-N supremo Nawaz kicks off party's election campaign in AJK

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz formally launched its election campaign in Azad Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday, with party supremo Nawaz Sharif addressing supporters in Muzaffarabad as the region heads toward a staggered poll schedule.

According to a monitored public feed based on Dawn Home, the AJK elections, which were earlier expected on July 27, will now be conducted in three division-wise phases starting July 27 and ending August 10.

Nawaz Sharif, accompanied by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, told the crowd that it had been several years since he last came to Muzaffarabad. He said he held deep affection for Kashmir and stressed the need for better road links and development in the region. He specifically pointed to the absence of a motorway between Kohala and Muzaffarabad and said a “most beautiful motorway” should be built along the Jhelum River from Mansehra to Muzaffarabad and onward to Mirpur.

The former prime minister also recalled that during the tenure of PML-N’s Raja Farooq Haider as AJK prime minister, he had approved a development plan for the area. He said he had never viewed Azad Jammu and Kashmir differently from Pakistan’s provinces, calling AJK “my second home” and saying, “AJK is as dear to me as Punjab is.”

In remarks reminiscent of his earlier public speeches, Nawaz told the audience that he knew they cared for him and that he cared for them in return. He urged that Muzaffarabad should be made the most beautiful city in the country and said Maryam Nawaz’s development approach in Punjab should be replicated in AJK. He said he had told her that just as a guest brings fruits and sweets to a host’s home, the same spirit should be reflected in public service for Muzaffarabad.

Nawaz also pledged that, if the PML-N won, the party would implement its manifesto and address what he described as all issues facing the region. He said he would return to AJK every three months to check whether the manifesto was being carried out and said he would visit streets alongside the chief minister to assess progress.

Among the promises he made were a large increase in the AJK budget, which he said had been doubled during his time as Pakistan’s prime minister. This time, he said, it would be increased tenfold. He also announced that at least 10 green buses would reach AJK within days, with electric buses to follow in Muzaffarabad. In addition, he said 12 mobile hospitals would be brought to the region soon to address gaps in health and emergency care.

Criticising previous governments in AJK, Nawaz said they had focused on slogans and emotional appeals rather than delivery. The PML-N has already announced candidates for 37 of the 45 seats in the AJK Legislative Assembly.

Maryam Nawaz, in her own address, said Kashmiris were like family and described the relationship between Pakistan and Kashmir as “never-ending.” She also referred to unrest in the region over the past month and said that if Nawaz Sharif’s government were in power in AJK, the situation would not be as it is now. She alleged that in the 2021 AJK election, the PML-N had won 17 seats while the PTI had secured only three, but that the results were then altered, with