MUZAFFARABAD, AJK (MNN); Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) officially launched its election campaign for the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly elections on Tuesday, with party President and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif addressing a large public gathering in Muzaffarabad.
The rally came a day after the AJK Election Commission announced a revised election schedule under which polling will now be conducted in three phases, beginning on July 27 and concluding on August 10.
Accompanied by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, Nawaz Sharif said it was an emotional moment for him to return to Muzaffarabad after several years and reaffirmed his longstanding affection for the people of Kashmir.
He stressed the need for major infrastructure development in the region, proposing the construction of a modern motorway linking Mansehra, Kohala, Muzaffarabad and Mirpur along the scenic Jhelum River.
Nawaz recalled that during his previous tenure as Prime Minister, he had approved several development initiatives for AJK when Raja Farooq Haider served as the region’s Prime Minister.
Declaring Azad Kashmir as his “second home,” Nawaz said he had never treated AJK differently from Pakistan’s provinces.
“AJK is as dear to me as Punjab. I have always considered the people of Kashmir my own,” he told the gathering.
The PML-N supremo said Muzaffarabad should be transformed into one of Pakistan’s most beautiful cities and directed Maryam Nawaz to replicate Punjab’s development model across Azad Kashmir if the party comes to power.
He said the reforms and public welfare initiatives introduced in Lahore and other Punjab cities should also be implemented in Muzaffarabad and throughout AJK.
Referring to Maryam Nawaz’s visit, he remarked that she had come “like a guest bringing gifts,” promising that the party’s election manifesto contained comprehensive development projects for every part of Azad Kashmir.
Nawaz Sharif pledged that if the PML-N wins the elections, every promise made in the manifesto would be fulfilled and all major public issues would be addressed.
He also announced that he would personally monitor the implementation of development projects by visiting AJK every three months alongside the region’s prime minister.
Highlighting his government’s past support for AJK, Nawaz said his administration had doubled the region’s budget during his previous tenure.
“This time, we will not merely double it—we will increase it tenfold,” he declared.
Among the key announcements, the former premier said 10 environmentally friendly electric buses would soon be introduced in Muzaffarabad, while 12 mobile hospitals would also be dispatched to improve healthcare and emergency services in remote areas.
He criticised previous AJK governments that came after the PML-N, accusing them of relying on political slogans instead of delivering practical development.
The PML-N has so far announced candidates for 37 out of 45 seats of the AJK Legislative Assembly.
Maryam Nawaz Addresses Rally
Addressing the gathering, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz described the people of Kashmir as members of her own family and said the relationship between Pakistan and Kashmir was eternal and unbreakable.
She claimed that if the PML-N had remained in power in Azad Kashmir, the region would not have faced the current political and administrative challenges witnessed over the past several weeks.
Maryam Nawaz also alleged that during the 2021 AJK elections, the PML-N had secured victory in 17 constituencies while Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had won only three seats.
However, she accused the then PTI government led by former Prime Minister Imran Khan of altering the election results and depriving the PML-N of its electoral mandate.
