• Kashmiris are ‘owners of Pakistan’, Rana Sanaullah tells election rally in Bagh
• PM’s aide assures people dialogue with protesters among top priorities of next govt

MUZAFFARABAD: Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah has described Kashmiris as “owners of Pakistan” and expressed confidence that the PML-N would form the next Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government with a two-thirds majority.

Addressing an election rally in Dhirkot, Bagh in support of Raja Faisal Azad, PML-N candidate in LA-14 constituency on late Friday evening, ahead of the third phase of AJK Legislative Assembly elections on Aug 10, Mr Sanaullah said Pakistan and Azad Kashmir shared an “inseparable bond” that no power could weaken.

“When you raise the slogan ‘Hum Pakistani Hain, Pakistan Hamara Hai’, believe me, 250 million Pakistanis feel from their hearts that Pakistan does not merely belong to Kashmiris; Kashmiris are owners of Pakistan,” the PM’s aide said, adding that Kashmiris were serving in all fields with equal rights across Pakistan.

“The freedom struggle of Jammu and Kashmir is a movement for the completion of Pakistan. Pakistan is incomplete without Kashmir,” he said. This is the reason India was trying to create misunderstandings after having failed to achieve its objectives through direct confrontation, he said.

Highlighting Islamabad’s support for AJK, he said the PML-N government approved a Rs23 billion special package for the region and provided wheat subsidy for Kashmiris.

He said the prime minister had also approved five Daanish schools for AJK, while the PML-N intended to extend the public welfare and development model being pursued in Punjab to AJK.

Mr Sanaullah said the results of the first two phases had demonstrated public confidence in PML-N President Nawaz Sharif, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.

He said the PML-N had so far secured 24 directly elected seats and expected to get six reserved seats, taking its strength to 30 in the 53-member assembly.

“We need only six more members for a two-thirds majority,” he said, expressing confidence that the party would further strengthen its position in the Aug 10 polling.

The adviser to the prime minister on political affairs was confident that the PML-N would form the AJK government with a two-thirds majority within weeks, adding that Mr Nawaz would nominate the next Azad Jammu and Kashmir prime minister from among the party’s elected members and work with the new government to usher in “a new era of development”.

Referring to the proscribed Action Committee, Mr Sanaullah said dialogue and consultation would be among the first priorities of the next PML-N government for resolving public issues. He said the government had engaged with the committee over its 38-point charter of demands and that PM Shehbaz had assured it that legitimate concerns would be seriously considered.

“Ninety-nine per cent” of those associated with the Action Committee were patriotic Kashmiris, he said, adding that any elements seeking to create mistrust would be exposed and defeated.

He urged party workers to reach out to every voter and ensure a strong turnout on Aug 10 to strengthen the PML-N’s representation and pave the way for a stable government and accelerated development in AJK.

Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs, Gilgit-Baltistan and SAFRON Amir Muqam, PML-N’s Azad Jammu and Kashmir chapter president and MLA-elect Shah Ghulam Qadir, party candidates, elected representatives, local leaders and thousands of workers and supporters attended the rally.

Published in Dawn, August 9th, 2026