0
ISLAMABAD: With the elections in Azad Jammu Kashmir set for the end of this month, the PPP and the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) have decided to contest these polls on a joint platform, while also hinting at “future alliances”.
The development came after PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari visited JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman at his residence in Islamabad, followed by a media talk. Mr Bhutto-Zardari told reporters that both parties were in an electoral alliance for the AJK polls, and the alliance marked a new chapter in political cooperation between the two parties.
Expressing gratitude to Maulana Fazl, Bilawal said he had always had the opportunity to learn from the Maulana’s experience and praised the JUI-F leader for his “constructive role” during difficult times.
The PPP chairman said if Maulana Fazlur Rehman, while sitting in the opposition, was willing to play a positive role for the country, then the government and treasury benches were also ready to engage him for dialogue.
He expressed desire to see the PPP and JUI-F form coalition governments in Balochistan, Sindh, and Azad Kashmir in the future.
He said the election schedule for Azad Kashmir had already been announced and the polls must be peaceful and transparent so that the problems faced by the people of Kashmir could be effectively addressed. He said resolving the ongoing crisis in Kashmir required a joint effort by the federal government, the Azad Kashmir government, and all political parties.
In a reference to recent unrest in Kashmir, he said instead of long marches, strikes, and protests, political issues should be raised and resolved through democratic institutions.
He also urged protesters to remain peaceful and refrain from taking the law into their own hands, emphasising that lasting solutions lie in parliament and the democratic electoral process, not on the streets.
Responding to a question that if they were in favour of refugees’ seats, he said the issue could be settled through dialogue. “Guns and batons are not the solution to any problem, but dialogue is.”
Published in Dawn, July 1st, 2026
