Adviser to PM rejects allegations by the PPP that phased election process amounts to large-scale rigging
Adviser to the prime minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah Khan addressing a news conference in Islamabad, along with Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Amir Muqam. — RADIO PAKISTAN
Adviser to Prime Minister Rana Sanaullah on Monday said that polling in the third phase of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir elections was proceeding peacefully in the remaining constituencies of Poonch Division, particularly Haveli and Bagh, with only a few isolated incidents reported.
Speaking to the media, Sanaullah said the elections were being held after the AJK and federal governments agreed to give protesters sufficient time to reconsider their position. He said those who had sought to prevent the elections should now accept that they had failed to stop the democratic process.
“Those who wanted to stop the elections should now realise that they have failed. The people of AJK have exercised their right to vote and given their mandate to their elected representatives,” he said.
Sanaullah said the completion of the third phase would pave the way for government formation in AJK. The elected government, he added, would address the legitimate problems and concerns of the people through democratic means.
He urged protesting groups to end their sit-ins and return to the democratic process, saying candidates from constituencies where elections remained pending could join the assembly through by-elections.
At the same time, he warned that individuals who had allegedly taken up arms, attempted to mislead the people, undermine the Kashmir freedom movement, damage the state or act in the interests of hostile forces would have to face the law and account for their actions.
According to Sanaullah, polling in Haveli and Bagh began at 8am and continued peacefully. He said an incident occurred at a police station in Haveli where some individuals allegedly attempted to seize official records. The situation was brought under control after the Quick Response Force (QRF), including Rangers and other security personnel, reached the area, allowing polling to resume.
He also said attempts were allegedly made to disrupt polling at three stations in one of the Bagh constituencies. Apart from these incidents, he said, no major violence had been reported.
He alleged that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) was attempting to portray its electoral defeat as a result of rigging.
READ: AJK PML-N chief rejects PPP’s rigging allegations in polls, terms them ‘baseless’
“I have mentioned this incident because I do not want the death of this elderly voter to later be presented as the death of a political worker or a victim of electoral violence,” he said.
Sanaullah said law-enforcement agencies were fully prepared and that the QRF was providing additional security throughout the electoral process.
Referring to results announced so far, Sanaullah expressed confidence that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz would form the next AJK government with a clear majority, which he said could approach a two-thirds majority.
He said that under the leadership of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, the PML-N would fulfil its election promises and usher in an era of development and prosperity in AJK.
Rejecting PPP allegations that the phased election process amounted to large-scale rigging, Sanaullah said the AJK Election Commission had decided to conduct polling in phases for security reasons after consulting all participating political parties.
He claimed that the PPP had also agreed to the phased schedule and did not object until its defeat in the Mirpur Division became apparent.
Sanaullah further said the AJK Election Commission had accepted a PPP proposal regarding the scheduling of elections to seats in Pakistan, including constituencies in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Karachi.
He argued that the elections in those areas could have been held earlier because there were no comparable security concerns, but the PPP supported placing them in the second phase so their results would not influence the first phase.
He criticised the party for subsequently claiming an electoral defeat in constituencies where, according to him, it had conducted little or no campaigning.
Sanaullah also questioned what he described as inconsistent claims regarding casualties involving political workers during the election period, saying allegations should not be made without evidence.
“Turning a democratic process and a credible election into a controversy in this manner is, in my view, not a service to democracy,” he said.
READ MORE: Bagh-Haveli vote to test PML-N’s dominance
Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Engr Amir Muqam, also thanked the people of AJK for supporting the PML-N and said the party would strive to fulfil its commitments to the Kashmiri people.
Muqam expressed surprise at the opposition’s repeated allegations of electoral rigging and questioned what it hoped to achieve through such claims. “The people of Kashmir have already made their decision through the ballot,” he said.
Referring to the PML-N’s public gathering in Haveli, Muqam said the large turnout indicated the direction of public sentiment even before polling.
He rejected allegations that the deployment of police personnel from Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was intended to manipulate the elections, saying personnel from different parts of the country had been deployed for security purposes.
Muqam also dismissed complaints about the alleged bias of district administration and senior officials, saying similar allegations had been made before the elections despite the opposition mobilising its supporters and resources.
“Despite all these allegations, they mobilised their people, brought supporters from different areas and used all available resources. Yet they still lost because there is a public wave, and when that wave moves in one direction, it becomes difficult to stop,” he said.
He urged opposition parties to accept the voters’ verdict and examine their own performance and political record rather than repeatedly alleging rigging.
Muqam said the large voter turnout and peaceful conduct of polling should be viewed as an achievement for the people of Kashmir and the state.
“It is a major achievement for the Kashmiri people and for the state that, despite the circumstances, people came out in such large numbers to exercise their right to vote,” he said.
He also criticised allegations surrounding an incident at the polling station of an opposition party president, arguing that security had been provided to political leaders and candidates and that individual incidents should not be used to discredit the entire electoral process.
Muqam expressed confidence that the PML-N would continue to receive public support in the remaining phase and ultimately succeed in forming the government in AJK.
