THERE are moments in political life that appear to be routine gatherings but acquire significance because of the larger message they carry. The meeting of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Azad Jammu and Kashmir parliamentary party in Murree was one such occasion. The presence of PML-N President and Quaid Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif gave the gathering unusual political and emotional significance. Yet the real importance lay in its message of reconciliation, loyalty to workers, confidence in Azad Kashmir’s future and commitment to development.
It was also an occasion to recognise the sacrifices of party workers, with Nawaz Sharif giving unsuccessful candidates Mushtaq Minhas, Barrister Iftikhar Gilani, Chaudhry Muhammad Saeed and Engineer Mohsin Aziz an opportunity to speak alongside the successful ones. The gesture conveyed that electoral defeat does not diminish a worker’s contribution or loyalty; those who stand by the party in difficult times remain part of its political family. Nawaz Sharif’s remarks on Azad Kashmir were equally significant. The recent unrest and political tensions are a matter of concern, but his approach was not to exploit the situation or single out individuals for blame. Instead, he pointed towards public frustration, governance failures and delayed solutions to people’s problems. His message was that Kashmir needs healing rather than further polarization.
Another important theme was the view that PML-N’s recent electoral success should be understood in the context of Nawaz Sharif’s political vision. Before Pakistan’s creation, the Muslim League was not merely a political party; it was a historic movement that mobilized the Muslims of the subcontinent and became the vehicle for Pakistan’s creation. After independence, repeated divisions fragmented the Muslim League and weakened its original political spirit.
The speakers at Murree attributed the renewed relevance of the Muslim League to Nawaz Sharif’s leadership, which gave it a new agenda of development, economic progress, infrastructure, public service and national stability. The success of PML-N in the first two phases of the Azad Kashmir elections was therefore seen as an expression of that political renewal. Yet the story remains incomplete: seven constituencies in Poonch and Sudhnoti are still to complete the electoral process.
The most consequential part of Nawaz Sharif’s address came when he focused on Azad Kashmir’s future. The region possesses extraordinary natural beauty and human potential, but its people face serious challenges. Young Kashmiris need employment and opportunity; tourism requires infrastructure; mountainous geography makes transport and healthcare difficult; and remote communities need better education, roads, communications and public services. Proposals involving CPEC-related development in Muzaffarabad, Poonch and Mirpur, a possible Murree-Muzaffarabad rail link, modern hospitals, improved roads, tourism infrastructure and employment opportunities therefore assume importance.
Nawaz Sharif’s appeal to Shehbaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz for comprehensive support to Azad Kashmir was therefore significant. Practical measures, including improved helicopter facilities suited to mountainous terrain, reflected an understanding that Kashmir requires solutions adapted to its geography. Shehbaz Sharif’s address complemented that vision. He congratulated the successful candidates and assured them of federal support for Azad Kashmir’s development. If Nawaz Sharif articulated the vision, Shehbaz Sharif represented the challenge of implementation. Roads must be built, hospitals improved, educational institutions strengthened, tourism expanded and employment created.
Maryam Nawaz added an emotional dimension, representing a new generation carrying forward the Sharif family’s longstanding relationship with Azad Kashmir. Senior PML-N leaders, including Shah Ghulam Qadir, Raja Muhammad Farooq Haider Khan, Mushtaq Minhas and Chaudhry Tariq Farooq, also participated. They highlighted political concerns and public frustrations, particularly in Poonch and Sudhnoti. Shah Ghulam Qadir spoke of political and intellectual confusion, while Farooq Haider and Minhas raised local concerns. Chaudhry Tariq Farooq assured that the incoming government would address public grievances. Particular attention was given to the remaining seven constituencies, with candidates and workers assured of continued party support and organizational attention.
Ultimately, however, the real test for PML-N will not be the size of its electoral victory but what it does with that mandate. Azad Kashmir needs reliable roads, modern healthcare, quality education, tourism opportunities and employment for its people. Development must reach Muzaffarabad, Poonch, Sudhnoti, Mirpur, Bagh, Haveli, Neelum and Bhimber alike. Nawaz Sharif’s message carried the warmth of an elder statesman determined to keep his political family together. Shehbaz Sharif brought the urgency of an administrator committed to translating promises into action. Maryam Nawaz represented a new generation carrying forward that political relationship.
For Azad Kashmir, the hope is that this new chapter will be measured not merely in seats won, but in schools built, hospitals improved, roads completed, tourists attracted, young people employed and communities connected to opportunity. The Murree gathering may have been a political meeting, but its deeper message was a promise: preserve faith after defeat, dignity in disagreement, unity in politics and place the future of Azad Kashmir above the politics of the moment.
—The writer is a Supreme Court lawyer and former member & Chairman Standing Committee of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Council. Islamabad
