Tarar slams PPP’s ‘baseless accusations’ on AJK polls, urges ally to accept results

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Monday said that unfounded accusations of electoral rigging in the recent Azad Jammu and Kashmir elections should not be made without credible evidence and that the Pakistan Peoples Party should show political maturity and graciously accept the election results.

The statement came a day after the second phase of the AJK elections was held in Muzaffarabad Division and refugee seats. According to unofficial and unconfirmed results, the PML-N was leading in five constituencies, while the PPP had won two seats. In the first phase, the AJK Election Commission formally notified the results of all 13 constituencies of Mirpur Division, confirming a decisive victory for the PML-N, which secured nine seats, while the PPP won the remaining four.

Senior leaders from both parties have held competing press conferences as rigging accusations have intensified. The PPP accused the federal government of interfering in the elections through development announcements and misuse of official resources, while the PML-N alleged the PPP was itself attempting to manipulate the vote, claiming ballot papers had been recovered from the residence of a rival candidate.

During a media talk in Islamabad today, Tarar stated that while political point scoring was part and parcel of the election process, more effort should have been put in by the Pakistan Peoples Party, as it had done in the Gilgit-Baltistan elections, to secure victory.

Tarar further criticised Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Memon for his “baseless accusations” of election rigging and asked where the evidence for this was, adding that accusations should be backed with irrefutable evidence and should not be made for their own sake.

Earlier today, Memon lashed out at the PML-N and accused it of rigging in the first phase of the polls for the AJK Legislative Assembly. He alleged that the election commission had failed to act impartially during the electoral process and accused it of ignoring the party’s complaints. He added that PPP would continue to contest the remaining phase of the AJK elections and pursue all available constitutional and legal avenues to challenge the alleged irregularities.

Tarar noted that the “people of AJK voted for the party that placed more importance on development and the welfare of the people. PPP should reflect on its own performance in Sindh before pointing fingers elsewhere.”

According to the minister, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s manifesto for this election focused on public service and development, further explaining that the people of Kashmir were “aware who has wasted time and which party has invested time and effort in building development projects in AJK”.

READ: PPP alleges collusion in AJK polls, vows to challenge results through legal forums

“It is disappointing to see accusations of rigging to build a political rhetoric. PPP should accept the election results and make an effort to advance the political process,” he stated.

He stated that the AJK elections witnessed a complete political process, with people voting in large numbers and participating in election rallies and corner meetings.

“The manner in which Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated PPP on victory in GB was commendable and shows the politics of tolerance and reconciliation,” he stated.

The minister noted that during the elections in GB, “PPP and Bilawal [Bhutto-Zardari] ran a strong campaign, and the people responded to that. However, in the AJK elections, the entire PML-N team, including Nawaz Sharif, ran a unified and strong campaign that helped secure victory for the party.”