Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said on Saturday that nobody would believe in the transparency of elections to be held in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) tomorrow (Sunday, July 25) if the AJK’s election commission did not take action against Prime Minister Imran Khan and Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit- Baltistan (GB) Ali Amin Gandapur for violating the elections’ code of conduct, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
Addressing a press conference in Karachi, he said, “We call upon the election commission to take action against PM Imran and his ministers as there are video footages showing them distributing money among the people. Otherwise, tomorrow’s elections will be worst in the country’s history in terms of fairness and transparency,” he remarked.
He added there was interference in the general elections held in the country in 2018, and the PPP had even raised its voice over that. “But I don’t think that state institutions will ‘interfere’ in the AJK elections,” he said, adding even if some Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) ministers openly claimed that the institutions were on their side, they did just to give an impression.
Bilawal said that PPP was campaigning for ‘free and fair elections’ in Pakistan.
He said all parties, barring PPP, had sneaked into the power corridors. “It is only the PPP which is the real protector of the people of Kashmir,” he claimed.
He accused the prime minister of doing harm to the Kashmir issue.
“Not a single road has been built in AJK during the last three years,” he said, and added it was only the PPP whose services and projects were still fresh in people’s minds. “How will you hold Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi responsible for the woes of Kashmiris when you yourself are not providing them their share in water?” he questioned.
Reporter Muhammad Kamran