MUZAFFARABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) President and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday said he would ask Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to appoint him as the prime minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) if the party secured victory in the upcoming elections, Geo News reported.
The former premier made the remarks while addressing a party rally in Muzaffarabad where he kicked off the PMLN’s election campaign ahead of the phased July 27 AJK polls. He was accompanied by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.
Addressing party workers, Nawaz Sharif said he was visiting Muzaffarabad after several years and expressed his deep affection for the people of Kashmir. He said it was unfortunate that there was still no motorway link between Kohala and Muzaffarabad, adding that a scenic motorway should be constructed along the River Jhelum from Mansehra to Muzaffarabad and onward to Mirpur.
The PMLN leader recalled that during his previous tenure, when Raja Farooq Haider was the prime minister of AJK, he had approved a comprehensive development plan for the region. He said he had never differentiated between AJK and Pakistan’s provinces and that Kashmir was as dear to him as Punjab. He said Muzaffarabad would be developed into the most beautiful city in Pakistan. He directed Maryam Nawaz to introduce public welfare projects in AJK on the pattern of development initiatives being implemented in Punjab.
He pledged that if the PMLN came to power, all development projects would be completed and public issues addressed. He also announced that he would visit AJK every three months after forming the government and would personally monitor development activities. The former prime minister claimed that his government had doubled AJK’s budget during his tenure and promised that it would be increased up to tenfold if given another opportunity. He also announced that 10 green electric buses for Muzaffarabad, saying they would be operating on the city’s roads within days. He further announced the provision of 12 mobile hospitals to improve healthcare facilities across AJK. Criticising the previous governments, Nawaz Sharif alleged that they had focused on slogans and emotional politics instead of resolving public issues.
Addressing the gathering, the Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz said she had not come to the region as a guest. “This is my Azad Jammu and Kashmir. I am Kashmiri by blood, by heart and mind, by soul, and through my ancestry,” she added. Referring to the previous AJK elections, Punjab CM Maryam claimed that the PMLN had won 17 seats, while the then prime minister’s party had secured three.
Without naming anyone, the Punjab chief minister criticised her political opponents for making complaints and levelling allegations during their speeches. “I respectfully ask, who are you complaining about when your own government is here?” she said, referring to the Pakistan Peoples Party. The Punjab chief minister said she had not come merely to make promises but had brought the Punjab government’s two-year performance before the people. “We have not come to ask for votes, but if you elect the PMLN, I promise the destiny of Azad Kashmir will change,” she added.
Maryam Nawaz also announced plans to extend Punjab government initiatives to AJK, including housing, cleanliness and youth support programmes. She announced educational support measures for young people, saying she had brought 2,000 scholarships for youth as well as laptops. The Punjab chief minister said that the “Apni Chhat Apna Ghar” project would also be launched in the region, adding that she would request Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to introduce a “Suthra Azad Kashmir” project for the territory.
Former AJK prime minister Raja Farooq Haider, Shah Ghulam Qadir, Rana Sanaullah, Amir Muqam, Barrister Iftikhar Gilani and other leaders also addressed the gathering. The PMLN has so far announced candidates for 37 of the 45 constituencies of the AJK Legislative Assembly.
