Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Tuesday welcomed the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)’s performance in the first phase of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly elections, while rejecting allegations of electoral rigging made by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).
According to unofficial and unconfirmed results, the PML-N won nine of the 13 seats contested across Mirpur Division, while the PPP secured the remaining four seats.
Speaking in a televised address, Maryam Nawaz said the PPP should accept the election outcome rather than question its legitimacy.
Responding to remarks by PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, she said, “Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has just issued a statement saying that the state has decided that PML-N will win. Bilawal sahib, I want to explain to you that it is not the state that decides elections; it is the people who decide elections.”
Maryam Nawaz also referred to the Gilgit-Baltistan elections, where the PPP formed the government, saying the PML-N had accepted those results and supported the democratic process.
“In Gilgit-Baltistan, the people decided in your favour. The PML-N wholeheartedly acknowledged your victory. The prime minister congratulated you and supported you in forming the government,” she said.
She argued that the PPP had not alleged rigging after its victory in Gilgit-Baltistan but had questioned the electoral process following its losses in the first phase of the AJK elections.
Maryam Nawaz also criticised the PPP’s election campaign, saying the party should focus on improving its public outreach, political narrative and performance instead of disputing the results.
The PPP has alleged that polling in parts of Mirpur Division was marred by rigging, intimidation and violence. The Election Commission has not announced any findings regarding those allegations, and the results remain unofficial pending formal confirmation.