ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa President Engineer Amir Muqam has strongly dismissed the Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) allegations of rigging in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) elections, insisting that such claims are baseless and have been made before the completion of the official vote-counting process.
Speaking to the media, Amir Muqam questioned the credibility of the allegations, pointing out that the PPP currently holds power in Azad Kashmir and oversees the region’s administrative machinery.
“The prime minister, the government and the entire administrative structure in Azad Kashmir are under the PPP’s control. It is therefore unreasonable to accuse the PML-N of election manipulation before the votes have even been counted,” he said.
The federal minister criticised the PPP leadership and its ministers for making what he described as hasty and ill-considered statements, arguing that raising allegations of electoral fraud before the official results are compiled only serves to erode public confidence in the democratic process.
Commenting on the violence reported during the elections, Muqam expressed sorrow over the fatal incident in Fatehpur Takyal, describing it as a tragic development. He said a PML-N worker was also injured in the violence that occurred on Saturday.
He further recalled that senior PML-N worker and local leader Malik Ashiq Hussain had earlier lost his life in a separate firing incident in Fatehpur Takyal during the election campaign, calling for peaceful political engagement and restraint.
Urging all political parties to respect the electoral process, Muqam said it was regrettable that accusations of rigging were being made before the completion of vote counting.
He stressed that all stakeholders should await the official outcome instead of making premature claims that could create unnecessary political tension.
Highlighting his party’s election campaign, Muqam said PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif, along with other senior party leaders, had presented the party’s record of development and future vision to the people of Azad Kashmir.
He maintained that the PML-N contested the elections with a committed and hardworking team and accused the PPP of resorting to allegations despite, according to him, enjoying the advantages of being in government and having access to the state’s administrative resources.
