Bilawal hits back at Nawaz: Kashmiris ‘ not ready to bargain away their rights’

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Sunday delivered a sharp riposte to PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, declaring that the people of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) are “not ready to bargain away their rights”  whether in Kashmir or Mirpur .

The exchange comes a day before the first phase of elections in AJK, with Mirpur set to vote on Monday, and amid allegations of pre-poll rigging by the PPP after the PML-N gifted 10 e-buses to Muzaffarabad .

In a recent campaign speech, Nawaz had invoked Bilawal by name, stating that Kashmir should not be mistaken for Kashmir, nor Mirpur for Mirpurkhas the districts of Sindh where the PPP has been in power for years .

Responding via a video statement on social media, Bilawal began with a pointed, “Mian sahib, please don’t take offence,” while tagging Nawaz’s X account .

“Whether it’s Kashmir or Kashmir, Mirpur or Mirpurkhas, not only do their names resemble each other; their temperament matches too, their honour matches too, and so does the courage to stand up for their rights,” Bilawal said .

The PPP chairman emphasized that neither Kashmiris nor the people of Mirpurkhas would allow anyone to “rob them politically of their right to governance and right to ownership.” He reiterated his commitment to securing for the people of Kashmir the rights to governance, ownership, and employment “the same rights that every Pakistani citizen is entitled to.”

Bilawal added that if these fundamental rights were ensured, “they won’t need gifts of this sort. They will arrange their own development,” a clear reference to the PML-N’s e-bus initiative .

Urging his supporters to turn out in large numbers on polling day, Bilawal concluded with a defiant slogan: “Progress too! Authority too! Employment too! And Kashmir’s decision by Kashmiris!”

The war of words underscores the high political stakes in the AJK elections, with both major parties locked in a fierce contest for control of the region .