Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has declared that the federal government’s “countdown has begun” after the AJK elections. He claimed the polls in Azad Jammu and Kashmir were heavily rigged and far from free or fair.
Speaking in a video message, Bilawal addressed his allies in the PML-N. He asked them if they could hear the sound of the countdown for the federal government. The PML-N has secured a simple majority in AJK by winning 23 of the 45 seats, according to Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah.
Despite the tough result, Bilawal congratulated PPP workers for winning nine seats. He described the elections as “bullet elections”, “murderous elections” and “bloody elections”. He vowed that the party would reclaim the seats he said were “stolen” in Mirpur and Muzaffarabad.
Bilawal announced a major public rally in Bagh district on August 10. He urged supporters in Poonch to get ready, saying he was coming to them. The PPP leader stressed that his party never loses courage, never retreats and never leaves the field.
Senior PPP leader and Sindh Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon issued a similar warning. He alleged that the PML-N worked with the Election Commission and even distributed ballot papers to its candidates two days before the voting. Memon claimed the administration ignored complaints from the current AJK president and prime minister.
He also recalled the 2024 elections and questioned whether Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz had truly won their seats fairly. Both leaders made it clear that the PPP will continue its struggle against what they call historic rigging in the AJK elections.
The strong statements show growing tension between the PPP and its federal ally PML-N. Supporters are now preparing for the Bagh gathering as the party signals it will not stay silent over the election results.
