Azma Bukhari slams PPP over Kashmir election defeat

Uzma Bukhari slams PPP over Kashmir election defeat

Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari has criticised Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, saying voters in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) had backed development and modernisation and that political parties should respect the public mandate.

Speaking at a press conference in Lahore, Bukhari said the people of the Mirpur Division had made their choice through the ballot and supported the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). She urged rival parties to accept the election results with an open heart, saying respect for the people’s decision was an essential part of democratic politics.

Bukhari claimed that the election outcome had increased frustration within an unnamed political party. Referring to Bilawal’s recent remarks, she accused him of trying to mock the PML-N leadership while avoiding a discussion of his party’s performance in Sindh.

She challenged the PPP chairman to present the achievements of his party’s 18-year rule in Sindh, particularly in Karachi. She questioned why the city still lacked an effective public transport system and why municipal authorities struggled to manage waste collection.

Comparing the performance of the Punjab and Sindh governments, Bukhari highlighted several initiatives launched under Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, including public transport projects, the provision of laptops and scholarships to students, air ambulance services, improved drainage equipment and development schemes across the province.

She also pointed to projects in southern Punjab, including public transport initiatives and the Recep Tayyip Erdogan Hospital, arguing that the region had received greater attention under the PML-N government.

Bukhari further criticised the PPP’s record on education, saying students in Sindh continued to raise concerns over access to educational opportunities, while the Punjab government had expanded scholarship and laptop programmes for young people.

She also defended the Punjab government’s response to heavy rainfall, saying authorities had equipped the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) with modern machinery to deal with urban flooding and drainage challenges.

Bukhari invited Bilawal to visit Punjab and see its development projects firsthand, saying he should compare the performance of the two provinces before criticising Punjab’s infrastructure.

Turning to the AJK election results, she said the people had clearly expressed their preference through their votes and urged all political parties to accept the outcome rather than question the public’s choice.