MIRPUR:Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Friday unveiled an ambitious development agenda for Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), promising to complete key infrastructure projects, establish modern healthcare facilities and build an international airport in Mirpur if the party forms the next government in the region.
Addressing a large election rally in Mirpur, he said several landmark projects initiated during his tenure remained unfinished after his government left office and pledged to revive them to accelerate the region’s socio-economic development.
Describing himself as a Kashmiri, Nawaz Sharif said Kashmir was not his second home but his first. He recalled launching the Triple M Motorway project during his previous government and said its completion would have transformed connectivity and economic activity across AJK. He pledged to complete the motorway, extend the Murree Expressway to Muzaffarabad and personally oversee development initiatives across the region alongside a future PML-N government.
Outlining the party’s manifesto, the former prime minister announced plans to establish new schools, colleges and universities, provide free medicines in government hospitals on the Punjab model and build state-of-the-art cancer, cardiac and children’s hospitals equipped with modern medical facilities. He also promised to establish an international airport in Mirpur, improve access to clean drinking water and expand essential civic infrastructure throughout AJK. Nawaz Sharif added that Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz had already gifted Mirpur a fleet of modern air-conditioned public buses as a sign of the party’s commitment to the region.
Referring to the political climate, Nawaz Sharif called for respectful democratic competition, saying political differences should never become personal hostility. Mentioning PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, he said, “Bilawal is my brother. Politics may bring differences of opinion, but there should be no bitterness.”
The rally was also addressed by PML-N candidates Chaudhry Muhammad Saeed, Chaudhry Tariq Farooq, Azhar Sadiq, Fateh Mehmood-ul-Hassan, Chaudhry Rukhsar, Yasir Mansha and federal ministers, who urged voters to support the party in the upcoming elections.