PML-N President and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday pledged sweeping development initiatives for Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), saying he would even ask Shehbaz Sharif to appoint him as AJK’s PM if the party emerged victorious in the upcoming elections.
Nawaz made the remarks while addressing a PML-N rally in Muzaffarabad, where he formally launched the party’s election campaign alongside Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz ahead of the phased AJK elections, scheduled to begin on July 27.
The former PM said it had been many years since he had last met the people of AJK and expressed happiness at reconnecting with them. He questioned why a motorway linking Kohala and Muzaffarabad had yet to be constructed, adding that Azad Kashmir held the same importance for him as Punjab and describing the region as his second home.
Nawaz promised to visit AJK every three months if the PML-N formed the government, saying he would personally monitor the progress of development projects. He urged voters to support his party, assuring them that it would work to resolve the region’s longstanding challenges.
Highlighting the party’s development record, Nawaz said projects initiated by Shehbaz Sharif were now being carried forward by Maryam Nawaz.
He also pledged to increase AJK’s budget tenfold if the PML-N came to power, promising major investments in infrastructure and public welfare. He maintained that the party had always treated AJK, Gilgit-Baltistan and all four provinces equally in terms of development and vowed to launch projects in the region similar to those undertaken in Punjab.
Recalling his tenure as PM, Nawaz said his government had doubled AJK’s budget and promised an even larger increase if the PML-N secured power.
He announced that 10 electric, air-conditioned green buses would soon arrive in Muzaffarabad, while 15 mobile hospitals would also be provided to improve healthcare services.
Addressing the rally, Maryam Nawaz said she did not consider herself a visitor in Azad Kashmir, describing the region as her own and saying her ancestral roots were linked to Kashmir.
She also referred to the previous AJK elections, claiming that the PML-N had won 17 seats while the party of the then PM secured only three. She alleged that the former PM had sought to alter the election results, arguing that the alleged interference had contributed to the region’s current challenges.
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