• PPP chief says ‘attempt to rig’ Kashmir elections will be the downfall of federal govt
• Offers to join hands with PTI for electoral reforms, tells it to end ‘politics of boycott’
• PML-N AJK leader asks PPP chief to refrain from making misleading statements about polls

MUZAFFARABAD: PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Thursday warned the ruling PML-N that any attempt to “steal” his party’s mandate in the Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK) elections would trigger the “countdown” to the federal government’s downfall.

Addressing a rain-soaked election rally in Muzaffarabad ahead of Sunday’s polling in Muzaffarabad division, Mr Bhutto-Zardari reiterated his demand for transparent elections, greater constitutional empowerment for AJK and a truth and reconciliation commission to address the recent unrest in the region.

Before his address, AJK Legislative Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Latif Akbar presented him with traditional Kashmiri attire. Heavy rain began shortly after he started speaking, but participants remai­ned at the venue despite the downpour.

Claiming that the PML-N had turned the AJK elections into “a matter of life and death”, Mr Bhutto-Zardari said the party feared that losing AJK after successive defeats in Gilgit-Baltistan would weaken its position at the Centre.

“I promise you that free and fair elections in Azad Kashmir pose no threat to the federal government. But if you steal votes and rob the people’s mandate, then mark my words: the countdown to your federal government will begin from that day. If you steal my mandate, I will come to bring down your throne,” he said.

Addressing the PTI, he urged the party to abandon what he called the “politics of boycott”, saying that boycotting elections, parliament and parliamentary committees served no purpose. Despite the criticism, Mr Bhutto-Zardari extended an invitation to PTI workers and what he described as “serious politicians” to join hands with the PPP in pursuing electoral reforms through parliament, saying all parties opposed to electoral manipulation should work together to ensure free and fair elections.

Mr Bhutto-Zardari announced that if elected, the PPP would convene a constitutional convention after the elections, bringing together the government, opposition and representatives of different segments of society to deliberate on AJK’s constitutional status. Referring to Kashmir’s natural resources, he said the mountains, forests, rivers and land belonged to the people of Kashmir.

Referring to a development earlier in the day, he said the proposal for a truth and reconciliation commission was no longer merely his own but had become the assembly’s demand. He urged protesters to end their agitation and accept the proposed commission, saying accountability would follow through an agreed mechanism. While reiterating his allegations of rigging in Mirpur division polls, he questioned the AJK Election Commission’s impartiality, and asked whether it served the people or the ruling PML-N.

Not ‘reconsidering’ alliance

Late on Wednesday night, Mr Bhutto-Zardari also held a brief question-and-answer session with local journalists Responding to a question about whether the PPP would reconsider its participation in coalition governments if its grievances were not addressed, Mr Bhutto-Zardari said he was not contemplating such a scenario. “I have legal evidence and video evidence, and on that basis I believe I should get justice through legal means,” he said.

Separately, PML-N regional president Shah Ghulam Qadir rejected the PPP chairman’s statements on the ongoing AJK elections, calling them “misleading, contrary to facts and an attempt to cast doubt on the public mandate”.

Published in Dawn, July 31st, 2026