ISLAMABAD: PMLN Vice President Maryam Nawaz said on Monday that she had neither accepted the result of Election 2018 nor would accept the result of this election.
Reacting to the PTI success in AJK elections, she said her party would soon decide what strategy has to be adopted against this “brazen rigging” in AJK polls. “I have neither accepted nor will accept the results of the election,” she announced.
Meanwhile, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari accused the PTI government of rigging and resorting to violence during the elections in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly and said that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had failed to take action against the PTI on violating electoral rules.
“Despite all this, the PPP emerged as the largest opposition party in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir elections,” he tweeted from his twitter account on Monday, while commenting on the results of the AJK election in which PPP has won 11 seats.
Bilawal, taking the twitter on Monday, tweeted that “PTI resorted to violence & rigging in AJK Elections 2021. ECP failed to take action vs. PTI for violating electoral rules.” He further tweeted that despite this, PPP emerged as the largest opposition party in AJK with 11 seats, up from 3 seats last time. “Incredibly proud of PPP-AJK for putting up a good fight,” he stated.
With his tweet, Bilawal also mentioned the names of winners of the PPP in 11 constituencies of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain said that Bilawal Bhutto and Maryam Nawaz should resign from their respective party posts for the worst defeat in Azad Kashmir elections.
Coming hard on both leaders of PPP and PML-N during a news conference here, he emphasised that their parties should demand resignation from them. “If there is any political shame in them; if so, accept responsibility for the defeat and resign, have retrospection instead of crying out for rigging,” he argued.
Fawad pointed out that Nawaz Sharif's meeting with Pakistan's enemy Hamdullah Mohib recently and Maryam Nawaz' anti-Pakistan rhetoric caused the PML-N to suffer the worst defeat while allegations of rigging in Azad Kashmir elections are tantamount to simply blaming others.
The minister continued that Maryam Nawaz and Bilawal did nothing but criticism and used abusive language against the national institutions in the entire election campaign, whereas PPP will be wiped out from Sindh in 2023 elections.
The people of Azad Kashmir, he noted, have expressed full confidence in Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is also very popular among the people of Occupied Kashmir. “We are not in favour of any action against the will of Kashmiris, Premier Imran will decide about the new President of Azad Kashmir, Prime Minister and the Speaker.
He congratulated the PTI workers and the candidates contesting the elections on the clear victory in the Azad Kashmir elections and claimed that Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs Ali Amin Gandapur conducted a systematic election campaign in Kashmir.
“Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has won a landslide victory in the Kashmir elections, which will have far-reaching effects. After such a great success, the narrative of poll fraud dies on its own, this success is possible only when you are truly popular among the people. More than 56 percent polling took place which is a sign of confidence in the electoral process,” he pointed out.
The minister said that PPP and PML-N are important political parties and new leadership should be given a chance to emerge within them and contended that this country will move forward only if the political parties take it forward as an institution.
He said that during the election campaign, the PML-N camp talked about seeking help from India, which is a shame, whereas Maryam Nawaz launched a campaign based on anti-military and anti-Pakistan rhetoric, which led to the worst defeat of PML-N. He said that PML-N was the ruling party in Azad Kashmir and the manner in which it was defeated was unmatched by any other party till date.
The PMLN, he noted, had won less seats than the PPP, partly because Nawaz Sharif met anti-Pakistan Hamdullah Mohib in London. The manner in which Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz' rhetoric, in which the army and security agencies were constantly criticised, led to their worst defeat.
He said that Hamdullah Mohib is an enemy of Pakistan and an agent of RAW. The people of Kashmir have responded to his meeting with Nawaz Sharif in the form of the worst defeat. He said that on the birthday of Asif Ali Zardari, Bilawal Bhutto had given him a gift that a party which they used to call the chain of four provinces, had shrunk so much that like other provinces, their condition is not the same in Kashmir.
“It is not possible for you to invite Modi to your house, meet Jindal and conspire against Pakistan's national institutions and then expect the people of Kashmir to vote for him,” he said referring to PMLN leadership.
He said that Ahsan Iqbal had issued notice to a political orphan on his statement seeking help from India but he should issue notice to Nawaz Sharif on meeting with an enemy of Pakistan and an Indian ‘agent’.
To a question, Fawad said that Pakistan's position regarding August 5 was clear and reiterated that our first condition for negotiations is that India should withdraw its aggression of August 5," he said.
Speaking on the occasion, Ali Amin Gandapur thanked what he called the proud people of Kashmir for showing confidence in Imran Khan and said, “We will solve the problems of the people of Azad Kashmir who have been deprived for 72 years”.
In response to a question, he said that two of our youths have been martyred as a result of violent incidents in the elections and the condition of one of them is critical, 57 people were injured by bullets and stones.
The minister said that Imran Khan had already said that the names of the Prime Minister, Speaker and Ministers would be announced after the elections in Azad Kashmir, a party meeting would be held in this regard after which a decision would be taken soon.
He also noted, “I have reservations about the ECP but I still respect them a lot. My statement was not harder than the statement of Bilawal or Maryam but I will respond when someone talks to my leader in the election.”
Meanwhile, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib said that the people of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) had buried politics of the ‘corrupt’ political parties by giving a mandate to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the general elections.
In a statement, he said both the political parties Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) were already rejected by the people in Gilgit Baltistan polls and general elections of 2018 in the country for plundering national exchequer.
Farrukh said Kashmiris taught an exemplary lesson to Modi's cronies, money launderers, fake account holders, certified liars and corrupt people and made the day of July 25 a part of history.
The Kashmiri people through power of vote rejected those who made deals on Kashmir cause, he remarked, adding that the Kashmiris could never forgive those who invited Modi on their wedding ceremonies and accepted gifts of ‘Saris’ and mangoes from him by ignoring Hurriyat leaders.
Praising the people of Kashmir for bringing politics of bullying, rigging, accusations and criticism to an end, he extended gratitude to Kashmiris living in AJK and other parts of the country for reposing confidence in Prime Minister Imran Khan.
He said PM Imran Khan being a true ambassador of Kashmiris would continue to fight their case and advocate the Kashmir cause at all international fora.
The minister said the PTI would not only respect the mandate given by people of Kashmir, but also carry out massive development projects for welfare and prosperity of AJK people. He also chided Maryam Safdar and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari over their parties' worst-ever defeat in the AJK polls.
Earlier, PML-N Secretary Information Marriyum Aurangzeb said that the minister who was a product of vote theft should feel ashamed before demanding resignations from others.
Responding to Fawad Chaudhry's press conference, Marriyum said a government feebly surviving on the crutches of turncoats must look at themselves in the mirror before having the audacity of saying anything.
The products of rigging and usurping of public mandate should muster up the integrity and shame to resign themselves for crushing the people under the avalanche of inflation, unemployment and unbearable taxation. They should resign for burying the country under thousands of billions of debt and loans.
She said, "Such a demand of resignation is coming from those whose time is up and are about to resign and head home themselves. Who are you to demand Maryam Nawaz' resignation? It is time for the robbers of public mandate, sugar, wheat, flour, electricity, gas and medicine to resign. It is time to resign for those who traded off Kashmir".
Marriyum said the level of transparency of these elections could be gauged from the fact that Imran Khan flew in on the helicopter with the minister that was expelled from the region. She said the ones that were rejected by Kashmiris during every public meeting, were gifted victory by illegal ballot stuffing.
The former information minister dared Fawad Chaudhry and PTI to compete and win without stealing votes. Such statements won't change the fact that the AJK and GB elections were stolen, she concluded.