Bilawal vows to defend PPP mandate after AJK poll rigging claims

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari vowed on Tuesday that his party would not surrender the mandate given to it by voters in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), hours after the first phase of the region's legislative assembly elections was overshadowed by allegations of rigging, intimidation and violence. "The job of the people is to vote, and they have given PPP their votes. Now our job is to protect their vote, have it counted, and we will not step back or bow down," Bilawal told a gathering in Muzaffarabad, adding that the party would claim "100 per cent" of the votes and seats it says rightfully belong to it in Mirpur. His remarks came a day after the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) emerged as the dominant party in the first phase of the AJK Legislative Assembly elections, securing nine of the 13 seats contested across Mirpur Division, according to unofficial and unconfirmed results. The PPP won the remaining four seats in the division, which comprises the districts of Mirpur, Kotli and Chaksawari. Despite extensive security arrangements, polling was marred by allegations of rigging and sporadic violence, as coalition partners at the centre - the PML-N and the PPP - traded accusations of electoral interference throughout the day. Addressing supporters, Bilawal alleged that polling in Mirpur was tainted by rigging, intimidation and violence, claiming the PPP had secured a majority through the support of voters but was being deprived of its electoral victory. "Every child of Kashmir knows that Mirpur has a PPP majority," he said. "The people of Mirpur have given their verdict through their votes, and now our responsibility is to protect that vote and ensure it is counted." Bilawal thanked voters in Mirpur for supporting the PPP despite difficult circumstances and congratulated party candidates, including Malik Zafar and Qasim Majeed, saying the party's own count showed it had won a majority in the region. "I salute the people of Mirpur that despite these circumstances, through your votes you have given PPP the majority," he said. The PPP chairman alleged that attempts were made to influence the election through interference at polling stations, accusing political opponents of removing PPP polling agents and disrupting the electoral process. "How is it possible that 30 union councils are taken over?" he asked. "How are polling agents thrown out of polling stations and then disappear?" Questioning the decision to hold the elections in phases, Bilawal said authorities had justified the arrangement on the grounds that it would provide enhanced security and ensure free and fair polling. "We were told that elections were being held in phases so that every polling station could get protection," he said. "But if that was the purpose, then how did attacks happen at 30 polling stations in Mirpur?" Read: PML-N secures strong lead in AJK polls, wins 9 of 13 seats in Mirpur as unofficial results pour in Bilawal said he possessed video evidence of alleged irregularities and questioned how such incidents could occur despite the security arrangements. He alleged that the phased election process had been used to manipulate the outcome rather than improve security. "This is only possible when the objective is not to conduct free and fair elections, but to conduct elections in phases so that the Mirpur vote can be stolen," he said. PPP worker Mukhtar Younus, 35, was killed during polling in Nikyal on Monday. PPP members alleged they had received information indicating that the firing came from a PML-N candidate or his supporters, adding that several PPP workers were also injured. Referring to Younus, Bilawal accused the ruling PML-N of being responsible for the worker's death and creating what he described as an "atmosphere of fear and harassment" while attempting to deprive the people of Mirpur of their votes. "The vote that they stole in Kotli and Mirpur, I will not spare them," he said. Bilawal also alleged that attempts were made to prevent PPP leader Chaudhry Yaseen from winning the two constituencies he contested. He claimed similar tactics had been used in previous elections, saying the party had faced violence and vote theft before but continued to defend its mandate. The PPP chairman then turned his criticism towards the federal government, saying Islamabad needed to decide whether it prioritised the country's interests or those of a political party. "The federation needs to decide whether national interest is more important or PML-N's interest," he said. "It seems that the federal government prioritises PML-N's interests over national interest, and this is harming Pakistan, Kashmir and the people of this country." He said the PPP supported the federation on issues of national importance but would not accept political interests being placed above the rights of Kashmiris. Bilawal also warned that undermining democracy in AJK would damage the region's identity. "This is Azad Kashmir, and we will never allow it to become 'occupied' Kashmir," he said. "What do they want? That Poonch should not look like Azad Kashmir, that Mirpur should not look free — that guns are fired, workers are martyred, the internet is closed, and nobody sees Azad Kashmir but occupied Kashmir." Later in his address, Bilawal linked the election controversy to the wider unrest in AJK, arguing that the government could have prevented prolonged protests by establishing a commission to investigate public grievances, as he had previously suggested. "Even last time, I did not insist on ending the 12 seats. I said accept the demands of the protesting people, sit with them and talk," he said. Bilawal said he had repeatedly urged both the government and protesters to find a peaceful solution but that the government had failed to establish a commission to determine the facts. "All you had to do was establish a commission, give it the responsibility to find the truth, and let it work. We could have saved so many lives," he said, adding that ordinary Kashmiris had suffered enough because of the prolonged unrest. Elections held amid rigging allegations Polling was held on Monday across 13 constituencies in the three districts from 8am to 6pm, after the Election Commission extended voting by one hour from the scheduled closing time of 5pm. The elections are being held in three phases under a revised schedule announced by AJK Chief Election Commissioner Ghulam Mustafa Mughal on July 21. The first phase covered all 13 constituencies in Mirpur Division, while polling in Muzaffarabad Division and the 12 refugee constituencies would be held on August 2, followed by Poonch (Rawalakot) Division on August 10. The PML-N first alleged pre-poll rigging in Kotli's LA-10 constituency after party leaders claimed polling staff and election material had been found at a private residence instead of the designated polling station. The Election Commission later confirmed it had arrested and suspended two presiding officers over the incident, replacing them with new officials and initiating legal proceedings under election laws. The PPP, meanwhile, repeatedly accused the federal government and the PML-N of using state machinery to influence the polls, alleging armed supporters attempted to disrupt voting at several polling stations and demanding immediate intervention by the Election Commission. The party also complained that polling at one station in Kotli remained suspended for nearly two hours, depriving voters of their right to cast ballots. Tensions escalated further in LA-9 Kotli-II (Nikyal), when PPP worker, Mukhtar Younus, was killed during polling. The PPP alleged he was shot during incidents involving armed supporters of a PML-N candidate, while PML-N leaders disputed the party's account of the incident. Local authorities confirmed one person had died and two others, including the victim's father, were injured. As the accusations intensified, senior leaders from both parties held competing press conferences. 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. Throughout the day, the Election Commission maintained that strict action would be taken against any violations of the electoral code of conduct, saying irregularities and negligence would not be tolerated. Despite the controversies, polling concluded after the one-hour extension before vote counting began.

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