Free and fair elections to ensure credible AJK govt: Bilawal

Muzaffarabad (Web Desk): Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Monday described the ongoing Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly elections as one of the most pivotal moments in the region’s democratic journey, emphasizing that only a transparent, impartial and credible electoral process could result in a government capable of effectively addressing the public’s concerns.

Speaking to party supporters in Mirpur during polling for the first phase of the AJK general elections, Bilawal expressed confidence in the PPP’s electoral campaign, asserting that his party had entered the contest with a vision that clearly distinguished it from its political opponents.

"I am proud of my candidates and our entire team. There is a clear difference between the PPP’s election campaign and those of the other political parties," he said.

Bilawal stressed that an election carrying such political significance must be conducted in a way that inspires public trust and remains free from controversy.

He said elections that are transparent, fair and widely accepted not only reinforce democratic values but also ensure that the assembly formed through the process possesses genuine legitimacy.

"When elections are transparent, impartial and credible, they strengthen not only the democratic process but also the legitimacy of the Assembly that emerges from it. A representative government with a genuine public mandate is better positioned to resolve the problems confronting the people of Azad Kashmir," he said.

Bilawal added that political stability in Azad Kashmir was vital for improving governance and delivering meaningful relief to ordinary citizens.

He said that several developments had raised concerns over the integrity of the electoral process. He recalled that the PPP had consistently voiced reservations about the management of refugee seats ahead of the polls and questioned the decision to conduct the elections in three separate phases. He also criticized the sequence in which the voting schedule had been arranged, saying it had fueled doubts about the fairness of the exercise.

"The responsibility of elected representatives is not merely to contest elections but to solve the people's problems. That responsibility can only be fulfilled with a legitimate public mandate. Without such a mandate, representatives lack the authority and credibility required to make important decisions," he said.

The PPP chairman also spoke about what he termed the widening disconnect between Kashmiri youth and the existing political system, maintaining that such challenges could only be overcome through dialogue, democratic participation and constructive political discourse.

He further said these domestic political concerns were closely connected with the broader Kashmir dispute, stressing that Pakistan must continue highlighting the issue internationally while also expanding the constitutional, political and economic rights of the people of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

Bilawal said the people of Kashmir should enjoy rights comparable to those available to citizens in the rest of Pakistan and called for legislative reforms that would ensure stronger representation of their voices at the national level.

Referring to the PPP’s election manifesto, he appealed to voters to endorse the party’s programme built around the "right to governance, right to ownership and right to employment".

He voiced optimism that if the PPP secured a stronger mandate than it did in the previous elections, the party would be in a better position to introduce its proposed reforms and honour its commitments to the people of Azad Kashmir.
His remarks came as the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was leading in nine of the 13 constituencies of Mirpur Division during the opening phase of the three-stage AJK Legislative Assembly elections.

The remaining phases are scheduled for August 2 in Muzaffarabad Division and the refugee constituencies, followed by polling in Poonch Division on August 10. Political parties have intensified their campaigns across the region as they compete for a majority in the 53-member Legislative Assembly.