PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Monday reiterated his warning to the PML-N that a “countdown” for it has begun, as he declared that his party’s “movement” for people’s rights will extend to the entire country.
Bilawal made the remarks in a series of video messages he shared on X, wherein he reiterated his allegations of rigging against the PML-N — his party’s ally in the Centre — during the ongoing Azad Kashmir elections.
The PPP and the PML-N have been engaged in a war of words since the latter emerged in the lead in Mirpur polls on July 27. The PML-N has also won the majority of the seats in the second phase , with the PPP accusing it of rigging and other violent tactics in both phases.
In one of the three clips posted on X on Monday, Bilawal affirmed that his party’s struggle for the people’s right to governance, ownership and employment will continue.
“This movement will not remain restricted to the mountains of Kashmir or Gilgit-Baltistan. God-willing, I will run this movement across the entire Pakistan,” he declared.
The PPP chairman added, “And my message for the friends in PML-N is just this: you can hear those voices, listen carefully, tick tock, tick tock. Your countdown has begun.”
Bilawal had also given a similar warning last week to the federal government, which is led by the PML-N in alliance with his own PPP.
Bilawal paid tribute to the people of Kashmir for “competing with the PML-N, its threats, rigging and bullets” in the ongoing elections.
He reiterated the PPP’s claims that its party worker was killed, an MNA suffered a bullet injury, and its leader Chaudhry Latif Akbar — currently the acting AJK president — was “attacked” on Sunday during polling in Muzaffarabad.
The PML-N has disputed the claim about the party worker, saying he died from a heart attack and was not part of the PPP.
In a subsequent video clip, Bilawal asserted that the elections so far have not been “transparent.
“These were rigging elections, bullet elections, murderous elections and bloody elections,” he claimed.
Addressing his supporters, he said, “Despite all this, you have secured nine seats for PPP. God-willing, I will get you back the seats stolen from you in Mirpur and Muzaffarabad.”
The PPP chairman urged the people of Muzaffarabad’s LA-27 (Kutla) and LA-28 (Lachhrat) — where polling will be held tomorrow (August 4) after being suspended due to issues arising from bad weather — to vote for PPP candidates Basil Naqvi and Javed Ayub.
Moreover, Bilawal announced holding a jalsa in Poonch division’s Bagh town ahead of the elections set for August 10 across the division. “The PPP does not lose courage, back down or leave the field. You should be ready.”
The AJK Election Commission has hinted that polling in Rawalakot and Tharor might not take place, stressing that law and order played a key role in holding elections.
AJK Election Commissioner Ghulam Mustafa Mughal told media today: “God-willing, we are ready to hold elections in all constituencies except for [Rawalakot] city and Thorar.
“Our preparation is complete for all constituencies. However, the law and order situation and the demands of the safety of voters play an important role in holding elections.”
