Maryam Nawaz promises development push for AJK

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Tuesday promised a wide-ranging development package for

MUZAFFARABAD: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Tuesday promised a wide-ranging development package for Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), saying the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) would transform the region if elected in the upcoming elections.

Addressing a public rally in Muzaffarabad, she criticised political opponents and questioned their ability to deliver progress. She said leaders who had failed to improve roads and public services in their own provinces could not be expected to develop Azad Kashmir.

She also accused rival governments of allowing public resources to be wasted through corruption, saying such leaders could not provide meaningful support to the people of AJK.

Maryam Nawaz asked opposition leaders why they continued to complain about conditions in the region when they themselves had been in power. She said the people deserved practical solutions instead of political speeches.

The Punjab chief minister said the PML-N believed in creating opportunities for young people. She added that the party wanted to place laptops in the hands of students instead of encouraging violence or confrontation.

She said she had not come to Muzaffarabad only to make election promises. Instead, she pointed to the achievements of the Punjab government over the past two years as proof that the PML-N delivers on its commitments.

Maryam Nawaz pledged that if the PML-N formed the next government in AJK, it would launch development projects similar to those implemented in Punjab. She said the region’s infrastructure, education, healthcare and housing sectors would receive special attention.

Highlighting Punjab’s progress, she said development work was visible across the province. She noted that around 300 Nawaz Sharif Schools were under construction to improve access to quality education.

She promised that every child in Azad Kashmir would receive free education. She also announced that mobile hospitals would be introduced to provide healthcare services in remote areas, allowing medical facilities to reach people at their doorstep.

Maryam Nawaz said Punjab’s housing programme, Apni Chhat Apna Ghar, would also be extended to Azad Kashmir. She stated that more than 200,000 houses had already been built for low-income families in Punjab and pledged to expand the initiative if the PML-N came to power in AJK.

She added that she would ask Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to launch the Suthra Azad Kashmir project to improve sanitation and cleanliness across the region.

The chief minister announced several welfare initiatives for Muzaffarabad, including 10 green buses to improve public transport. She also pledged 2,000 scholarships for students and a laptop distribution programme aimed at supporting young people and promoting digital education.

She further promised to build roads in every village of Azad Kashmir and said the party’s vision was to ensure that the region enjoyed the same level of development as Punjab.

Maryam Nawaz said she did not consider herself a visitor to Azad Kashmir. She described herself as emotionally and historically connected to the region, saying her roots and identity were closely linked with Kashmir.

Referring to the 2021 AJK elections, she claimed the PML-N had secured 17 seats while the then ruling party had won only three. She alleged that the election results were altered, adding that the region’s current problems stemmed from that outcome.

Concluding her speech, Maryam Nawaz said a stronger Pakistan would ensure a stronger Azad Kashmir. She expressed confidence that the PML-N would bring lasting development, improved public services and better opportunities for the people of the region if elected to power.