ISLAMABAD:Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Professor, Ahsan Iqbal on Monday said the people of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) had voted for the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in the Legislative Assembly elections after comparing the party’s development record in Punjab with the governance model of other provinces.Addressing a press conference alongside Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, the minister said the people of AJK wanted to replicate Punjab’s model of development and prosperity in the region. He said the PML-N and the people of Azad Kashmir shared a longstanding relationship, adding that whenever the party had been in power at the Centre, it had accorded priority to the development of AJK.“The victory of the PML-N on nine seats of Mirpur Division reflects the confidence of the people in the party’s performance and their desire for progress and development,” he said, adding,”the electoral outcome represented a clear public mandate”, he remarked.Rejecting allegations of electoral rigging made by Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Ahsan Iqbal termed the claims inappropriate and said they amounted to disrespecting the mandate of the people of AJK.He said more than 650,000 voters had exercised their democratic right during the elections, adding that questioning the results after the announcement of outcomes undermined the democratic process and the will of the electorate. The minister said no complaints regarding irregularities or rigging had been reported during polling or counting, and allegations surfaced only after the PPP’s defeat.Ahsan Iqbal claimed that voters had compared the governance and development record of Punjab under the PML-N with that of Sindh under the PPP before casting their votes. “They chose the PML-N because they wanted the development model implemented in Punjab to be replicated in Azad Kashmir,” he said.Drawing a comparison with the Gilgit-Baltistan elections, the minister said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had congratulated the PPP leadership when it emerged as the single largest party there despite the PML-N being in power at the Centre.He said the same democratic spirit should be demonstrated by accepting the electoral verdict in Azad Kashmir.
He said that if the elections in Gilgit-Baltistan were accepted as transparent, then the elections in Azad Kashmir should also be accepted, he added.
Ahsan Iqbal urged political parties to strengthen democratic norms and avoid statements that could create unrest, saying all political stakeholders should condemn those promoting violence instead of democratic politics, adding that the people of Kashmir believed in peaceful democratic processes and remained committed to Pakistan.
The minister criticised Bilawal Bhutto’s post-election statements, saying they did not reflect democratic traditions or political maturity. He said the PPP leadership should have congratulated the PML-N on its electoral success in the same manner that Prime Minister had congratulated the PPP after the Gilgit-Baltistan elections.
Expressing confidence over the remaining phases of the electoral process, Ahsan Iqbal said the PML-N would, God willing, secure a clear majority in Muzaffarabad and Poonch divisions and form the next government in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.