Bilawal vows fight back after AJK election loss

PML-N secures 23 of 45 seats to form AJK government

Information minister says rigging claims need real evidence

Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has said the countdown for the federal government has begun. He made the statement after his party won fewer seats than expected in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir elections. The PPP has called the polls rigged.

The PML-N government at the centre relies on support from several parties. The PPP remains its main ally. But during the AJK elections, the PPP repeatedly claimed the polls were unfair.

The PML-N has won a simple majority to form the government in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The party secured 23 out of 45 seats. This was confirmed by Rana Sanaullah, adviser to the prime minister on political affairs.

Bilawal addressed PML-N directly in a video message. He asked if they could hear a sound. He said it was the countdown for the federal government beginning.

He also announced a public gathering in Bagh district. He called on supporters in Poonch to prepare for a rally on August 10. He told them to get ready for his arrival.

Bilawal described the elections as neither free nor fair. He called them rigged, and used strong words like bullet elections and bloody elections.

Despite the results, he praised his party workers. He said the PPP had won nine seats despite the difficult circumstances. He vowed to reclaim seats he said had been stolen in Mirpur and Muzaffarabad. He said the PPP would continue its struggle and would not lose courage or leave the field.

Sindh minister and senior PPP leader Sharjeel Inam Memon issued a similar warning shortly before Bilawal spoke. Memon said the countdown for the federal government had begun. He claimed PML-N had given ballot papers to its candidates two days before voting, working together with the Election Commission.

Memon also alleged that the administration was ignoring complaints from the current president and prime minister of AJK. He called it historic rigging. He questioned whether top PML-N leaders, including Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz Sharif, and Maryam Nawaz Sharif, had genuinely won their own seats in the 2024 elections.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar responded on Monday. He said accusations of rigging should not be made without solid evidence. He urged the PPP to show political maturity and accept the election results.

His comments came a day after the second phase of voting was held in Muzaffarabad Division and refugee seats. Unofficial results showed PML-N leading in five constituencies, while PPP had won two. In the first phase, PML-N had already secured nine of the thirteen seats in Mirpur Division, with PPP winning four.

Tarar said PPP should have worked harder, as it did during the Gilgit-Baltistan elections. He questioned the evidence behind Memon’s claims and said accusations should not be made without proof.

He said the people of AJK voted for the party that focused on development. He advised PPP to reflect on its own performance in Sindh instead of blaming others.

Tarar praised Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for congratulating PPP after its win in Gilgit-Baltistan. He called it an example of political tolerance. He said PML-N ran a united and strong campaign in AJK, led by Nawaz Sharif, which helped secure the party’s victory.