In reply to Nawaz, Bilawal says people of AJK not ready to 'bargain away their rights'

Responding to PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif’s recent jibe, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Sunday said that whether it’s Kashmir or Kashmore, Mirpur or Mirpurkhas, their residents were “not ready to bargain away their rights”.

Bilawal’s response comes a day before the first phase of elections in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) is set to begin, with Mirpur voting on Monday. It also comes amid allegations of pre-poll rigging by the PPP after the PML-N gave 10 e-buses to Muzaffarabad as a “gift”.

Addressing a public rally in AJK’s Mirpur on Friday as part of his party’s election campaign, Nawaz had named Bilawal and said Kashmir should not be mistaken for Kashmore, nor Mirpur for Mirpurkhas — districts of Sindh where the PPP has been in power for years.

Subsequently, Bilawal shared a video statement on social media, beginning his message with, “Mian sahib, please don’t take offence”, as he tagged Nawaz’s X account in his post.

“Whether it’s Kashmir or Kashmore, Mirpur or Mirpurkhas, not only do their names resemble each other; their temperament matches too, their honour matches too, and so does the courage to stand up for their rights,” he said.

The PPP chairman added: “Whether it’s Kashmore or Kashmir, no one would let anyone rob them politically of their right to governance and right to ownership.

“Whether it’s Kashmir or Kashmore, Mirpur or Mirpurkhas, their people are not ready to bargain away their rights. They want to make their own decisions. They will not hand over power over their future to any other city, nor any other province.”

The Bhutto scion asserted, “Just as in the previous elections the people of Kashmir and Kashmore rejected the Muslim League, just as the [PML-N] was swept away in Mirpur and Mirpurkhas, the people will repeat that same verdict in the upcoming elections too.”

Referring to tomorrow’s polls in Mirpur, Bilawal expressed his belief that the “Kashmir’s verdict would be in favour of the PPP and just like in Mirpurkhas, the people of Mirpur would hunt the lion with the arrow”.

In another post before that, Bilawal also directly commented on Nawaz and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s announcement of “gifting” electric buses and hospitals on wheels to people of AJK before the election.

“You are being promised buses, hospitals, roads, and an airport. I welcome every bus, every hospital, every road, and every airport.

“But something built with the public’s money is not a gift from any politician — it is the public’s right,” he stressed.

“The PPP has not just made promises,” he remarked, emphasising that the party — which is currently in power in the region — had included 3,308 additional teachers, a cardiac hospital, new roads, IT centres, and employment opportunities for the youth in AJK’s budget.

“I myself secured funding for Mirpur Airport in the previous federal budget. The very stadium where our opponents hold their rallies was also built during the PPP’s tenure.”

The PPP chairman reiterated that he wanted to secure for the people of Kashmir the right to governance, the right to ownership, and the right to employment.

“The same rights that every Pakistani citizen is entitled to. Then they won’t need gifts of this sort. They will arrange their own development.”

Bilawal urged his supporters to come out in large numbers on polling day to cast their votes for his party.

“Progress too! Authority too! Employment too! And Kashmir’s decision by Kashmiris!”