Nawaz Sharif hints at becoming AJK PM

Former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Nawaz Sharif said on Monday that he

Former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Nawaz Sharif said on Monday that he would like to become the prime minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) if his party wins the upcoming elections.

Addressing an election rally in Muzaffarabad, Nawaz Sharif described Azad Kashmir as his “second home” and said it was as dear to him as Punjab.

“I feel like telling Shehbaz Sharif that if we win the elections, he should make me the prime minister of Azad Kashmir,” he said.

The PML-N leader promised to personally visit Azad Kashmir every three months to review development projects if his party formed the government. He pledged to resolve all major issues facing the region.

Nawaz Sharif said his party had never discriminated between Azad Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and the four provinces when it came to development projects.

He credited Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for initiating major development schemes in Punjab and said Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz was successfully completing them.

He added that he had instructed Maryam Nawaz to ensure Muzaffarabad received development projects similar to those underway in Punjab.

The former prime minister promised that if PML-N won the AJK elections, every major development project would be brought to the region. He said projects similar to those in Punjab, including motorway infrastructure, would also be launched in Azad Kashmir.

Nawaz Sharif proposed the construction of a scenic motorway along the Jhelum River, saying it would transform the region’s infrastructure and tourism potential.

He also claimed that during his tenure as Pakistan’s prime minister, the AJK budget had been doubled. If his party returned to power in the region, he pledged to increase the budget tenfold.

Announcing several development initiatives, Nawaz Sharif said 10 green buses would arrive in Muzaffarabad within the next few days and begin operating soon. He also announced that 15 mobile hospitals would be provided for Azad Kashmir.

Concluding his address, Nawaz Sharif said these announcements were only the beginning and vowed to fulfil every promise made to the people if elected. He added that it remained to be seen which party would ultimately win the elections.