Pakistan People's Party (PPP) is making a last ditch effort to garner the support of opposition parties in a bid to defeat Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in forthcoming Azad Kashmir Legislative Assembly elections, scheduled for July 21.
However, final decision in this regard will be taken after a meeting, scheduled for Tuesday (today), would be chaired by PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari with central leadership of the party. Raja Pervez Ashraf, PPP Secretary General, said that the recent killing of five people in Kashmir ahead of crucial elections is a part of the government strategy to sabotage the elections through spreading terror.
PTI AJK President Barrister Sultan Mehmood said that the PTI is not likely to extend support to the PPP and added that "There is no truth that we are going to make an electoral alliance with the PPP as the PTI and Muslim Conference have already made an alliance".
He accused the PML-N of badly damaging the Kashmir cause for personal political gain and neglecting national interest. He added that both PPP and PML-N had also exploited the basic rights of the people of AJK. Barrister Sultan Mehmood expressed the hope that his party would do well at the polls in spite of the absence of party Chairman Imran Khan.
As the election process for 49-seats of AJK Legislative Assembly is approaching, an intense electoral battle is expected among the two status quo parties notably the incumbent PPP and PML-N with the PTI expected to trail in third place. The PML-N, the main opposition party in the Assembly, has already constituted an 18-member parliamentary board to choose their electable candidates while the PPP and PTI have not formed any such parliamentary board.
The PPP claims it will go into election on the basis of its performance while the PTI will take part for the first time in AJK general elections. Traditionally, the AJK government is ruled by the party that is in power at the centre and the PML-N stalwarts are working day and night to ensure its advantage by announcing development packages.
Insiders claim that the PML-N AJK leadership is making hectic efforts to convince Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to address a rally in AJK ahead of the elections which they believe would clinch the elections for the party. "The Prime Minister may not go to AJK as he has just returned home after an open heart surgery, but even if he is unable to hold a pre-election rally, the PML-N is expected to emerge victorious as the federal government is announcing mega uplift schemes," said Farooq Haider, PML-N AJK Kashmir chapter president.
The PML-N has announced its manifesto for AJK with a claim to fulfil each and every promise contained in the development agenda. Under the manifesto, the party has committed to spend an additional amount of Rs 50 billion on AJK roads and other infrastructure rehabilitation in five years, besides the annual development budgetary allocations.
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