Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Wednesday warned that his party would suspend cooperation with the ruling PML-N on coordination and legislation until its concerns over the Azad Jammu and Kashmir elections were addressed.
Speaking at a press conference at Parliament House, Bilawal said the PPP had decided not to cooperate with the PML-N unless its reservations regarding the electoral process were resolved.
“My party has decided that there will be no cooperation with the PML-N in coordination and legislation until the reservations are removed,” he said.
Bilawal maintained that the PML-N had made no meaningful attempt to address the PPP’s objections over the fairness of the AJK elections, adding that continued cooperation would be difficult without what his party considered a satisfactory resolution.
He confirmed that the PPP would sit in opposition in the AJK Legislative Assembly, leaving the PML-N to form the regional government.
The PPP chairman also expressed broader concerns about the state of parliamentary politics, saying democratic institutions could face dangers when their own members failed to uphold their dignity.
He further argued that opposition parties were increasingly distancing themselves from the democratic process, a trend he said needed to be reversed.
Referring specifically to Kashmir, Bilawal said the sensitive nature of the region made it particularly important that elections be conducted without controversy or questions over their credibility.
He noted that concerns about possible deterioration in law and order had already existed in several constituencies, including Bhimber and Mirpur, making an undisputed electoral process even more important.