ISLAMABAD: Minister for Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan Affairs Ali Amin Gandapur on Saturday said the federal government had provided full support to the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government to ensure free, fair and peaceful elections.

Addressing a press conference here, Mr Gandapur alleged that both Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) tried their best to spoil the election environment, but Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) thwarted their attempts by keeping its workers calm.

He cited the incident that took place when he along with federal minister Murad Saeed and other PTI leaders was heading to a public meeting and some people pelted stones at their convoy near Jhelum Valley.

Claims PML-N, PPP’s move to spoil election environment thwarted

“We have decided not to respond to the PML-N workers’ attempts to sabotage the elections as the whole democratic world has its eyes on the polls in the liberated territory,” he said.

The minister said he had told the public before launching the election campaign in AJK that the PML-N would promote Indian narrative in its public meetings. He said that PML-N vice-president Maryam Nawaz had not uttered a single word against Modi’s tyranny in India-held Kashmir.

Mr Gandapur said PTI would form its government after recording a landslide victory in the elections to the AJK legislative assembly.

He said his party would win the polls based on their performance as the federal government had doubled funds for development projects in the valley.

The ministry for Kashmir affairs, he said, executed the development projects, which had been pending for the last over a decade. He said the federal government had launched a project to build underground bunkers in around 57 villages for safety of the residents living near the Line of Control (LoC).

Mr Gandapur said the government had provided Sehat Insaf Cards to all residents of Azad Jammu and Kashmir while the scope of Ehsaas Cash Emergency Programme was being extended across the valley to help the poor and needy people.

Published in Dawn, July 25th, 2021