Nawaz says political rivalry should not turn into ‘enmity’

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Nawaz Sharif said on Saturday that rivalry was a normal part of politics but differences should not be allowed to escalate into enmity.

Addressing a party meeting in Murree — attended also by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Nawaz said he had not expected the Pakistan Peoples Party to raise objections over the Azad Jammu and Kashmir elections, as the party was in power in the region.

The PML-N president said the political environment that had emerged during the AJK polls was a matter of concern for all, attributing the situation to the failure of previous governments to fulfil their responsibilities.

The AJK polls, held in three phases, brought the ruling coalition partners at the Centre into a face-off, with the PML-N winning a majority of seats while the PPP alleged rigging. PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari even said that the federal government’s “countdown has begun.”

“This is the first time that this environment has been created in Azad Kashmir, which is a cause of concern for all of us,” Nawaz said. “This has happened because the previous governments did not fulfil their duty.”

He urged political opponents to maintain tolerance and keep differences within the bounds of democratic disagreement, stressing that hostility had no place in politics.

He said the PML-N had always treated its political opponents respectfully and reiterated that political differences should not turn into hostility.

‘People of AJK looking towards Punjab’

The PML-N has already secured a simple majority after completion of the two phases of the AJK polls, winning 24 seats, with final results of the third phase yet to be announced. The PPP has clinched 10 seats in the first two phases.

He said that the PML-N would form the government in AJK, vowing to fulfil the promises the party made before the elections.

Nawaz also praised the party leaders and workers over the victory in the polls and said that the PML-N has secured a majority in the first two phases, adding that the election process has not yet been completed.

The PML-N president also called for maximum funds to be provided to Azad Kashmir and said the welfare and development of its people should remain the government’s priority.

He said the people of Azad Jammu and Kashmir were looking towards Punjab, where he said the development had been initiated under Shehbaz Sharif and subsequently advanced by Maryam Nawaz.

“The way we transformed Punjab, we will transform Azad Kashmir as well,” Nawaz said, warning that failure to deliver on the public mandate would lead to disappointment among voters.

Praising PM Shehbaz and his team, Nawaz said that the prime minister is currently working to address the country’s challenges, adding that the situation was extremely difficult when he assumed office.

“Today, the situation is improving day by day, and efforts are being made to put Pakistan on its own feet,” he said.

He said the government is also working to free Pakistan from dependence on the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and make the country economically self-reliant.

‘AJK voters rejected parties lacking development agenda’

Speaking on the occasion, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz said that PM Shehbaz Sharif had shown “a big heart” by inviting the PPP to form its government in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB).

She said the PPP had not been the majority party in AJK, expressing regret that it had levelled “false allegations” of rigging against the PML-N in the AJK elections.

Maryam said the PPP was not alleging rigging where it had won in Gilgit-Baltistan, but was making such allegations in constituencies where it had lost.

She said it appeared that the people of AJK had listened carefully to the election speeches and examined the manifestos before casting their votes. “Those who had nothing to offer in AJK were rejected by the people,” she said.

The PML-N leader criticised the PPP’s development record, saying it could not promise roads because roads had remained broken for 17 years in areas where it had been in power.

She said the PPP could not promise buses either because it had failed to provide buses to its own people, or those provided were also in poor condition.

Maryam said the PPP could not promise an improved sanitation system because piles of garbage were spread across the province under its administration.

She said PPP leaders appeared to have forgotten in the “heat of their speeches” that the government and administration in AJK were under their own control. “The president, prime minister, police, administration and staff in AJK were all their own,” Maryam said.

She added that those levelling allegations of rigging against others should first apply “a little logic” before making such claims.